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city then belonged; and on being told, "To the
pope," "Gracious heaven," he exclaimed, "has
the pope seized that place too?-Well, I will
come even thither."-The nuncio, in a courtier-
like manner, said something of the pope's visit-
ing Wittemberg. "Let him come," said Luther;
"we shall be glad to see him." "But," said

Vergerio, "would you have him come with an
army or unattended?" "As he pleases," re-
plied Luther; "we shall be ready for him either
way.' The nuncio then inquired whether the
ministers in Saxony were consecrated. Luther
replied, "Certainly as the pope will not con-
secrate them for us, here sits a bishop" (point-
ing to Pomeranus,) "whom we have conse-
crated."-" Much more conversation," says
the author of the narrative, "passed between
them, in which Luther fully explained his
views, with the utmost freedom, and even,
where the case required, with sharpness of re-
mark." On taking leave, Vergerio said, "See
that you be ready for the council."
"I will
come," replied Luther, "with my life in my
hand." 1

The reader cannot but be struck with the characteristic address here displayed. The reformer is perfectly at his ease, and assumes the superior ground; which of right belonged to him in every respect except that of external rank; and he was able fully to maintain what he thus assumed.

It may be observed, that Luther seems never to have concerned himself, so much as many did, in what place the council should be held: the great point with him was, that the scriptures alone should be the rule of judgment. If

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A. D.

1535.

210

IV.

From
Father

Paul.

that were obtained, he had such confidence in his cause, as to be willing to concede every thing of a mere circumstantial kind.1

Father Paul's account of this interview is more copious, and delivered in a more serious style. It is in substance as follows.

"Vergerio treated with Luther very courteously, enlarging much on the council and other topics. He assured him that the pope and cardinals respected him highly, and were infinitely grieved for the loss of one, who, had he employed himself in the cause of God and the apostolical see, might have done them inestimable service: that the pope blamed the harshness of Cajetan and the severity of Leo in their dealings with him: that for himself, (the nuncio,) as he did not profess divinity, he would not dispute with him on the existing controversies, but that by common reason he could shew him that it would be advantageous to reunite himself with the head of the church; for that, seeing his religion, which had come to light only eighteen years before, had raised innumerable sects and popular seditions, attended with the death or banishment of great numbers, it could not be concluded that it came from God: that it demonstrated too blind a self-love for a man to trouble the whole world in order to disseminate his own opinions: that, if he could not but adopt them, it was sufficient for his own conscience and salvation to keep them to himself: that the confusion produced had become so great, that a remedy could no longer be deferred, and that it was in Luther's power to make it easy, if he would be present at the council, and treat with charity, and

1 Seck. iii. 164 (1).

oblige the pope-who was a munificent prince, and took special notice of persons of merit. Eneas Sylvius, he further observed, by following his own opinions, with incessant toil, could rise no higher than to be canon of Trent; but, being changed to a better mind, became a bishop, a cardinal, and finally pope Pius II; and that cardinal Bessarion's advancement had fallen little short of this.-Luther in reply told him, that he made no account of the estimation in which he was held by the court of Rome, whose hatred he feared not, nor desired their favour; that he declined no labour in the ministry of God's word, though he was but an unprofitable servant: that he could see no more affinity between the service of Christ and that of the papacy, than between darkness and light: that nothing in his whole life had been more serviceable to him, than the severity of Leo and the harshness of Cajetan; so that he could not ascribe their conduct to themselves, but to the providence of God; for that, not being at that time enlightened in the great system of Christian truth, but having only discovered certain abuses in the matter of indulgences, he should easily have been prevailed upon to be silent, if only his adversaries would have observed the same condition; but that the writings of Prierias, the haughtiness of Cajetan, and the violence of Leo drove him to investigate the whole subject, and thus to discover errors and abuses, more numerous and more intolerable, such as a man could not conceal with a safe conscience that the nuncio had ingenuously

1 This is the account which Luther constantly gives of the course he had pursued: and can any account be more simple, more natural, or better supported by fact? It is that which investigation led Dr. Robertson, and Dr. Campbell, (in his

A. D. 1535.

CHAP.

IV.

confessed, that he was not conversant in theology, which indeed appeared from the arguments he used; for that none could call the doctrine of the reformers new, unless he believed that Christ, the apostles, and the holy fathers governed their lives by such rules as the pope, the cardinals, and the bishops now did: nor could any argument be drawn against the doctrine from the discords in Germany, except by one little acquainted with the scriptures, and not aware that it is the peculiar mark of the word of God and the gospel of Christ, that where it is preached in the world it occasions troubles and tumults, even to the setting of the son against the father, and the father against the son; and that its effect is, to give life to them that obey it, but to increase condemnation to them that reject it: that it was a great fault of the Romanists, to support the church of Christ, as if it were a temporal state, by human sanctions: that this is that kind of wisdom which S. Paul calls foolishness with God; whereas to disregard those political considerations by which the Romish hierarchy is conducted, to trust the promises of God, and to refer the interests of the church to his divine management, is that folly of men which is wisdom with God: that it was not in the power

Lectures on Ecclesiastical History,) as well as Dr. Milner, to adopt: yet the very opposite account, unnatural as it is, and unsupported by facts, is perpetually asserted by all the adversaries of Luther, with Bossuet at their head, and reechoed by those who affect to hold a middle station of philosophic impartiality between the two parties. They represent him as actuated only by selfish motives; as from the first prepared to push matters to the utmost extremity that he could against the church of Rome; and as hypocritical in all his professions of willingness to stop short and be silent.

1 See further, Seck. iii. 187 (6.)

of Martin to make the council succeed, and prove profitable to the church; it rather depended on the pope's leaving it free, that the Spirit of God alone might rule and preside in it; and that, all interests, usurpations, and artifices of men being excluded, the holy scriptures might be the sole standard by which every thing should be decided that, if it were so conducted, he, for his part, would carry with him thither all possible sincerity and Christian charity,-not for the purpose of pleasing the pope or any human being, but of promoting the glory of Christ, and establishing the peace and liberty of the church: but that so great a blessing to the Christian world could not be hoped for, unless all hypocrisy were laid aside, and the wrath of God against their sins appeased by serious repentance that the assembling together of men, ever so learned, was but a weak resource for this great work; seeing that, so long as the wrath of God is kindled, there is no error so absurd to which the grand enemy of mankind cannot persuade those great learned men, who trust in their own wisdom and knowledge-for it pleases God to confound the wisdom of the wise: that he could receive nothing from the court of Rome compatible with the ministry of the gospel: that the examples of Eneas Sylvius and Bessarion moved him not at all; the twinkling splendour of worldly greatness having no attractions for him; but that, if he were inclined to boast himself, he might adopt the facetious remark of Erasmus, that poor and despised Luther made many rich and great: that he need not go far to prove this; as the nuncio himself knew, that, only in the month of May last, the advancement of Fisher, bishop of Rochester, to the

A. D. 1535.

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