books written by me are neither of the same kind, nor on the same subject. Some treat of the nature of faith and piety, to which my very adversaries have borne most honourable testimony; and should I abjure such as these, I might justly be accused of coming short of the duty of an honest man: others there are in which I censure the Roman pontificate, and the Papal system, which have afflicted Christendom with the greatest evils. For who does not see, how miserably the consciences of men are vexed by the laws and decrees of the Popes? Who can deny how fraudulently and insidiously they have plundered different countries, and especially Germany, and even to this day set no bound to their pillage and rapine? Now, if I should retract these writings, I should confirm this tyrannical proceeding; and the mischief would be so much the greater, in that my confirmation would be sanctioned by the authority of an Emperor and of Princes. There is yet a third description of my works, which consists of replies to individuals who undertake the defence of that Roman iniquity, and load me with calumnies; and in these, I am free to confess, I have sometimes expressed myself in too strong language. But I arrogate no sanctity to myself; nor is it of my life and morals, but of the true doctrine, that I have made profession; and yet I am unwilling to alter any thing even in these, as by such conduct I should only open the door to fresh insolence and usurpation. Not that I would imply, that I consider myself infallible; but because it is the property of man to err and be deceived, I dare not set up any other defence for my humble tracts, than was used by my Lord Jesus Christ himself for his own doctrine; who, when interrogated concerning that doctrine before Annas, made answer, If I have spoken eyil, bear witness of the evil. If our Lord himself, who was conscious he could not err, did not disdain to listen to testimony against his doctrine, even from the vilest of slaves, how much more ought such a contemptible and frail creature as myself to be ready to attend to any arguments against my positions! I beg, therefore, for God's sake, your most serene Majesty, and most illustrious Lordships, or any of this assembly, be he high or low, if he can, to bring evidence, and convict me of fault, from the prophetical or evangelical Scriptures; for I shall be most ready, as soon as better instructed, to revoke any error; and I shall be the first to throw my own books into the fire. Whence I think it may appear, that I have well considered and duly weighed the differences and the dangers, or shall I say, the studies and the disputes, which my doctrines have so generally occasioned, and of which it was thought necessary yesterday to give me grave and powerful admonition. To me, however, I must confess, it affords of all things the greatest pleasure, to perceive these very studies and disputes in existence on account of the word of God; since this is the character, the circumstance, the progress of that word; for He saith, I am not come to send peace on earth, but a sword; for I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, &c.' Wherefore it behoves us to consider, that God is wonderful in working, and terrible in counsel; lest peradventure the work on which we are now so intently engaged, if it commence by a condemnation of the divine word, may lead to a dreadful torrent of calamities: and let us take especial care, that the government of this our excellent young prince Charles be not unhappy and inauspicious! By many instances from Holy Writ, and particularly those of Pharaoh, of the king of Babylon, and of the kings of Israel, it may be proved that empires have been in the greatest danger when regard has been had to human prudence and secular motive alone. Nevertheless, I would not be understood, most illustrious and sage princes, as designing to prescribe the course you are to follow; but as discharging a duty, for which I hope always to be found ready, and which I owe to Germany, my native land, dearer than life itself to us all. Suffer me, in conclusion, to beseech you again and again, to take me under your safety and protection, and defend me against the violence of my ad versaries.' "You have not answered to the purpose," said the frowning Of ficial. "You are not allowed to call in question points already settled by the authority of councils. You are required to give a plain and direct answer to the interrogatory, Do you mean to defend these your writings?"-" My reply," said the Professor, with dignity and composure, "shall be plain and direct, since you, great Cæsar, and these illustrious princes, command it. Unless I am convinced by Scripture testimony or evident reason (for, as to Popes and councils, I cannot give them credence, seeing they have so often erred and contradicted themselves), my belief is so confirmed by the scriptural passages I have produced, and my conscience so determined to abide by the word of God, that I neither can nor will retract any thing; for, to act against conscience is neither safe nor innocent. Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. May God help me! Amen." After the princes had deliberated on his answer, the Official observed, 66 Luther, you have neither answered with becoming modesty, nor sufficiently to the point, in making a distinction between your publications. If you retract those which contain a great part of your errors, the Emperor will not institute any inquiry as to those which are right. In the Council of Constance, very many persons were present out of Germany, who were distinguished for virtue and learning. But you pour contempt on its decrees, and revive errors that were there condemned, and require a conviction from Holy Scripture. This is preposterous and unreasonable. For what the church hath once condemned is not to be brought under dispute again; nor must it be permitted to every private man to demand a reason for every particular; for, should this once be allowed, that he who opposes and contradicts the church and councils, must be convinced by texts of Scripture, nothing would ever be certain or defined. Wherefore the Emperor requires you to declare, in plain terms, what is your determination as to your books." 66 I beseech you," said the Reformer," that by your leave I may preserve a sound and upright conscience. I have answered simply, and have nothing more to say. For, unless my adversaries convince me of my error by true arguments taken from Scripture, it would be impossible to set my mind at rest. Nay, I can demonstrate, that they have erred often, and grossly too; and for me to recede from the Scripture, which is clear, and which alone can neither deceive nor be deceived, would be the very height of impiety."-"You cannot prove that any council ever erred," muttered the Official. "I can and will," said Luther. The approach of evening broke up the sitting. up the sitting. Though Luther had spoken for two hours, he pursued his argument with animation, observing the impression which it made on a large proportion of his judges, while even those who could not subscribe to his opinions on' theological points, were not displeased to listen to his political reasonings against Papal encroachment. "How amazingly well he spoke," said Frederick to Spalatinus, when they had reached their lodging. Some of the bigoted Spaniards vented their malice against the Reformer by hissing and hooting him on his return. The next day, when the States were assembled, a paper was read from the Emperor: "Descended as I am from the Christian Emperors of Germany, the Catholic Kings of Spain, and the Archdukes of Austria, with the Dukes of Burgundy; all of whom have preserved, to the last moment of their lives, their fidelity to the church, and have always been the defenders and protectors of the Catholic faith, its decrees, ceremonies, and usages; I have been, am still, and ever will be devoted to those Christian doctrines, and the constitution of the church which they have left me as a sacred inheritance. And as it is evident, that a simple monk has advanced opinions contrary to the sentiments of all Christians, past and present, I am firmly determined to wipe off the reproach which a toleration of such errors would cast on Germany, and to employ all my power and resources, my body, my blood, my life, and even my soul, in checking the progress of this sacrilegious doctrine. I will not, therefore, permit Luther to enter into any further explanation, and will instantly dismiss, and afterwards treat him as a heretic; but I will not violate my safe-conduct, and will cause him to be carried in safety back to Wittenberg *? This ill-advised message, to which Charles had been stimulated by the more violent of the Papists, occasioned great disputes among the princes. Many complained, that he had broken the rules of the Diet by this premature sentence. They disregarded its decisive tone, * Schmidt, Hist. des Alleinands, tom. i p. 203. and continued in deliberation all that day and the next, so that the Emperor found it necessary to be less peremptory in his proceeding, and consented to a delay of some days, in which they might endeavour to reclaim him, promising in that case to obtain a free pardon for him from Rome. The Archbishop of Treves then sent for the accused to come to his palace, where he was exhorted to submit his private judgment to that of holy councils, by Veus, Chancellor of Baden, in the presence of many civil and ecclesiastical dignitaries. He professed his respect for councils in general, but was constrained to censure the measures taken by that of Constance against holy John Huss-deprecated the load of tradition with which the church was unnecessarily burdened-declared his readiness to obey magistracy in all things lawful-and would submit to any requisition, which did not amount to denial of the word of God. He was subsequently urged, both in public and private, by lawyers and divines, to abide by such decision as the Imperial orders should pass on his writings;" but he steadily refused, unless they would agree to ground their decision on the sole authority of Scripture. Being asked, if he would consent that a selection of articles made from his works should be approved or condemned by a general council, he answered to the same purport. In the last conference, the Archbishop confessed, that he supposed the propositions to be submitted to the examination of a council, would be similar to those condemned at Constance. “Then,” said the undaunted Professor, "I neither can nor will be silent in regard to such a proposal; for I am sure, that the decrees of that council condemned the word of God; and rather than give up the word of God, when the case is quite clear, life." I would consent to lose my The Official immediately waited on him with an order to leave the city, allowing him twenty-one days to return home, during which the public faith was pledged for his safety; but he was strictly enjoined not to preach to the people in the 'course of his journey. "This is the Lord's doing," he replied, "and blessed be the name of the Lord!" He charged the Official with his humble acknowledgments to the Diet of their liberal treatment of him during his stay; declaring, that his sole desire was a scriptural reformation in religion; and quitted Worms on the following day, the 'twenty-sixth of April, accompanied by the friends who had en*tered with him, and joined by the herald at Oppenheim, an officer whose presence was by no means disagreeable, as he was attached to the reformed doctrine. Having waited till the Elector of Saxony and the Palatine had departed also, the Emperor passed a decree on the 28th of May, which, to give it the appearance of unanimity, was ante-dated the eighth, declaring Luther a heretic, confirming the sentence of the Pope, and denouncing the ban of the Empire against all his adherents. On the evening before his departure a secret meeting had been held at the apartments of Frederick, in which it was resolved to seize him on his journey, and convey him to a place of security, that he might be free from the malice of his enemies. The plan was revealed to him by Spalatinus, who succeeded, after a while, in obtaining his acquiescence, though there was something in all clandestine dealings abhorrent from his disposition. On his arrival at Friedberg, he dismissed the herald with letters to the Emperor and States in justification of his conduct, and near Eisenach a troop of masked horsemen rushed out of a wood, secured his person as it were by force, and carried him off, through the recesses of the forest scenery, to a fortress erected on the highest point of the neighbouring eminences, which had been an ancient seat of the Landgraves of Thuringia, known by the name of Wartenburg, or the Watch'tower. [To be continued.] RETURN UNTO THY REST, O MY SOUL!-PSALM CXVI. 7. WHEN o'er a shoreless ocean The Dove of Noah flew, Nought stayed her ceaseless motion, O'er boundless gulfs opprest; Far from thy God thou wentest, Thine ark and strong right hand; The great Rock of thy shadowing In a dry and weary land. Like the prodigal, for pleasure Thou sought where ne'er possest, Despised celestial treasure, And wandered far from rest. As he from famine hasted, To thy home áfar off run, Before, thy Shepherd going, Thy song shall ne'er decay; JUNE 1823. EE J. D. THE VILLAGE PASTOR, No. VIII. "O first of human blessings, and supreme, By whose wide tie the kindred sons of men, Blest be the man divine who gives us thee." "But, Sir, shall we be able to keep clear of it? they say it will be all about us.' into war. "I hope we shall, John of this I am sure, that if the Lord ordains peace for us, none can plunge us We are a sinful nation; but still there are many in our land who pray for the country, that it may be preserved in the faith and fear and love, in the peace and grace and mercy of God their Father. Should he hear their prayer, and return an answer of peace, then even our enemies will be at peace with us. Thousands fall in one country, and tens of thousands in another, but the evil shall not come near us. Let ever bear in mind, that all hearts are in his hands, and all events under his control. "His is that power Unseen that rules th' illimitable world, may us That guides its motions, from the bright est star To the least dust of this sin-tainted mould; Of all, is nought but weakness and de- "To be sure, Sir, 'tis a great blessing to be at peace, and to have the Lord go with us as he promises, in our goings out and comings in. O what a sad, cruel thing this war must be!" "So sad and cruel, John, so impure, so wicked, so horrible, that you can form no conception of it. You have lived at home, and known of it only by report. A little, and but a little even of the tale of that slaughter and misery which other countries have seen and felt, has reached your ears. Had much more been told you, you would have still been as unable to realize its horrors to your mind, as those people are who hear accounts of burning mountains and earthquakes. Now, John, a person must behold the burning mountain and feel the earthquake; he must stand among the falling buildings and the mangled bodies of their inhabitants; he must gaze on the descending ruin of liquid fire, and see the abundance of flame mount up as it were to heaven; he must feel the earth reel and rock beneath him, and listen to the groans of the dying and the shrieks of the survivors, before he can form any just conception of the awful realities of those visitations of the Almighty. And so must a man see and experience what war is, before he can form any just conceptions of its sins and miseries. He must pass over the field of battle, and lead his way through the burning village, the bloodstained cottages, and the desolated corn-fields. He must look on a tract of country, yesterday in the bloom and beauty of nature, but to-day a wilderness. He must go into what was once the peaceful residence of a domestic circle; but instead of finding the different members of the family collected around their cheerful board, he must learn that the sons are killed either in the ranks of battle, or cruelly murdered because they refused to forsake their homes. He must see |