# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1848 01 11_S75
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

...then I do not know what more I could concede"; and in like manner the Landgrave Philip declared himself against all further concession. "A fine farce would come of it," he writes to his envoy at Augsburg, "if those who are the Caiaphas, Annas, and Pilate of the Church should be set to oversee the evangelical preachers."

Since this first negotiation had led to no agreement, another attempt was made with a still smaller committee, which on the Lutheran side consisted only of the two chancellors Brück and Heller, and Melanchthon; on the Roman side likewise only of the two chancellors Hagen and Vehus, and the often-mentioned Eck. Although both sides maintained much more moderate positions than before, and Melanchthon even allowed an almost excessive readiness to yield to prevail, nothing was nevertheless accomplished. Luther was much troubled about these peace negotiations; therefore he wrote, among others, to Spalatin at Augsburg: "I hear that you have set yourselves heavily to the artful task of uniting the Pope and Luther. The Pope will not be willing, and Luther refuses it. See to it that you do not labor in vain. Christ, who has hitherto been your strength, will now also be your wisdom, so that Italian cunning may gain nothing over you."

Since all the conciliation negotiations had broken down, and the Emperor could gain nothing from the Protestants either by promises or by threats, he summoned them to himself on the 7th of September, and expressed to them his displeasure that they, so small a band, should all alone introduce a new doctrine contrary to the faith of the whole world and contrary to the sacred customs of the entire Christian Church, and should persist so obstinately in it; he was nevertheless willing to give them a peaceful dismissal and to call a general church council, provided that in the meantime they would conform to his religion. To this they replied that they were no sect wishing to teach anything new or different from what the ancient Church had taught; that they had rather abolished the Roman abuses and errors precisely because these were nothing but human innovations against God's Word. They therefore appealed once again to a free, general church council. On the 22nd of September a special religious decree was finally published for the Lutherans, to the effect that they should have a respite until the 15th of April of the year 1531, but should then declare themselves definitely as to whether, pending a general church council, they would unite with the Roman Church in all articles, or not; in the meantime they were to have nothing new printed in matters of faith, nor draw over to their side subjects belonging to others, but were not to hinder their own subjects in the exercise of the old Christian faith, and were to unite with the Emperor and the other estates against those who did not hold to the holy sacraments (the Zwinglians) and the Anabaptists. When thereupon the Lutherans had withdrawn and taken counsel among themselves, they soon returned to the Imperial Council, and Dr. Brück declared publicly before the whole Empire: that the Confession had indeed not been refuted, but was rather so firmly grounded in God's Word that they intended, with confidence, to stand by it at the Last Judgment. At the same time Brück handed over the defense-writing which Melanchthon had composed against the Confutation of the papal theologians to the Palatine Count Frederick, who, however, had to give it back again at a sign from King Ferdinand. Since the Lutherans could obtain no change in the aforesaid religious decree, the Elector John the Steadfast departed from Augsburg on the 23rd of September, and arrived at his court residence in Torgau on the 11th of October. No more precious praise could be given to this prince, together with his fellow confessors, than that which Luther himself gave them in a letter which he wrote shortly before the Elector's departure, to Augsburg: "Would to God that I might soon see you again. You have done more than enough. You have confessed Christ. You have offered peace. You have rendered obedience to the Emperor. You have patiently borne much reproach, have been filled with shame and slander, and have not repaid evil with evil. In sum, you have handled the holy work worthily, as befits saints. Rejoice now, then, for once in the LORD, and be glad, you righteous ones. You have been grieved and sorrowful long enough in this world. Look up now, and lift up your heads." "The Electoral Prince," he adds, "wished to allow me to travel home; but I asked him to let me remain here, so that I might receive you here upon your return, and wipe the sweat from your brow."

God had made his name great and glorious in these noble confessors. It was not natural courage, not human strength of soul, that made them stand so firm and unmoved, and not grow weak and faint under the unspeakable torments, malice, and cunning temptations of their opponents. How much Luther had to do to raise up the often very faint-hearted and despondent Melanchthon, as one can see from the letters sent to him from Coburg! But how heroically and undauntedly we see this very Melanchthon fighting for the truth in the midst of enemies, and, as it were, in the hottest tumult of battle! Winshemius relates a particular example of this in the following words: "On the day after the presentation of the Augsburg Confession, the whole high council had assembled. Philippus (Melanchthon) is summoned. He steps among them with a courageous heart, and finds himself there surrounded by the teeth of the dragon, and, like Jonah, tossed about alone amid the ribs of the sea monster. Campegius threatens and hurls the terrible lightning-bolts of his wrath-breathing god; the others threaten, with the might and power of their realms, the poor and little flock of Christ's weak sheep. Here even a bold and steadfast man might well be shaken. When Philippus was then asked whether he would yield, he answered: We cannot yield, nor abandon the truth; but we ask, for God's sake and for Christ's sake, that our adversaries would forgive us, and, if they can, bear with us — that is, excuse us from what we cannot, in good conscience, give up. When Campegius hears this, he cries out: non possum, non possum, clave non errante [I cannot, I cannot, the key does not err]. But this thunder did not frighten Melanchthon, who carried a great soul in a small body; rather, although he stood in the very midst of lions, wolves, and bears, who could have torn him to a thousand pieces on the spot, he nevertheless answered bravely and undauntedly: 'We commend ourselves and our cause to God; if God is for us, who can be against us? Whatever, then, may happen, we will suffer, and overcome through patience.'"

The Diet lasted two more months after the departure of the Elector John. He had left his envoys behind, and although these, together with their fellow believers, did not fail in petitions, entreaties, representations, and vigilance, they could nevertheless not prevent a general Imperial Recess from finally being published on the 19th of November, which, with respect to the religious matter, was the same as the religious decree first drawn up, and which, besides, contained a long list of erroneous innovations against the old Christian faith, in which all the aberrations of the Zwinglians, the rebellious peasants, the Anabaptists, and other fanatics were charged to the Lutherans. As detrimental as this Imperial Recess was for the Protestants, it was nevertheless never enforced. Whatever the enemies did to hinder and suppress the Gospel, the cause of Jesus Christ had in fact lost nothing at this Diet, but had only gained. The glorious confession delivered by the Lutherans at Augsburg soon resounded throughout the whole world. The Emperor himself had the Confession translated without delay into French and Spanish, while Cardinal Campegius had it translated into Italian. Through the foreign envoys present at the Diet, it was soon spread into many countries of Europe. "It was publicly spread and resounded throughout all Christendom in the wide world" — so one could write in the preface to the Book of Concord, fifty years after the presentation of the Augsburg Confession. Even the adversaries had to bear witness to this great diffusion. Among others, Cardinal Robert Bellarmine wrote in the year 1576: "Who does not know that the Lutheran plague, which had its origin in Saxony not so very long ago, has in a short time infected all of Germany; that it has advanced from there to the north and east, swallowing up Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Gothland, Pannonia, Hungary; and then spread with equal speed to the west and south, [swallowing up] France, Eng-