From Here to Forever

Page 110

Chapter 11—The Protest One of the noblest testimonies ever uttered for the Reformation was the Protest offered by the Christian princes of Germany at the Diet of Spires in 1529. The courage, faith, and firmness of those men of God gained for succeeding ages liberty of thought and of conscience. Their Protest gave to the reformed church the name of Protestant; its principles are “the very essence of Protestantism.”—D’Aubigne, b. 13, ch. 6. {GC 197.1} A dark and threatening day had come for the Reformation. Notwithstanding the Edict of Worms, declaring Luther to be an outlaw and forbidding the teaching or belief of his doctrines, religious toleration had thus far prevailed in the empire. God’s providence had held in check the forces that opposed the truth. Charles V was bent on crushing the Reformation, but often as he raised his hand to strike he had been forced to turn aside the blow. Again and again the immediate destruction of all who dared to oppose themselves to Rome appeared inevitable; but at the critical moment the armies of the Turk appeared on the eastern frontier, or the king of France, or even the pope himself, jealous of the increasing greatness of the emperor, made war upon him; and thus, amid the strife and tumult of nations, the Reformation had been left to strengthen and extend. {GC 197.2} At last, however, the papal sovereigns had stifled their feuds, that they might make common cause against the Reformers. The Diet of Spires in 1526 had given each state full liberty in matters of religion until the meeting of a general council; but no sooner had the dangers passed which secured this concession, than the emperor summoned a second Diet to convene at Spires in 1529 for the purpose of crushing heresy. The princes were to be induced, by peaceable means if possible, to side against the Reformation; but if these failed, Charles was prepared to resort to the sword. {GC 197.3} The papists were exultant. They appeared at Spires in great numbers, and openly manifested their hostility toward the Reformers and all who favored them. Said Melanchthon: “We are the execration and the sweepings of the world; but Christ will look down on His poor people, and will preserve them.”—Ibid., b. 13, ch. 5. The evangelical princes in attendance at the Diet were forbidden even to have the gospel preached in their dwellings. But the people of Spires thirsted for the word of God, and, notwithstanding the prohibition, thousands flocked to the services held in the chapel of the elector of Saxony. {GC 198.1} This hastened the crisis. An imperial message announced to the Diet that as the resolution granting liberty of conscience had given rise to great disorders, the emperor required that it be annulled. This arbitrary act excited the indignation and alarm of the evangelical Christians. Said one: “Christ has again fallen into the hands of Caiaphas and Pilate.” The Romanists became more violent. A bigoted papist declared: “The Turks are better than the Lutherans; for the Turks observe fast days, and the Lutherans violate them. If we must choose between the Holy Scriptures of God and the old errors of the church, we should reject the former.” Said Melanchthon: “Every day, in full assembly, Faber casts some new stone at us gospelers.”—Ibid., b. 13, ch. 5. {GC 198.2}

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Chapter 42 The Controversy Ended

30min
pages 390-399

Chapter 41 Desolation of the Earth

16min
pages 384-389

Chapter 40 Ultimate Deliverance

31min
pages 374-383

Chapter 39 The Time of Trouble

39min
pages 361-373

Chapter 37 Only Spiritual Defense

16min
pages 349-354

Chapter 38 The Final Warning

16min
pages 355-360

Chapter 36 The Impending Conflict

18min
pages 342-348

Chapter 35 Liberty of Conscience Threatened

33min
pages 331-341

Chapter 34 Can Our Dead Speak to Us?

19min
pages 324-330

Chapter 33 The First Great Deception

35min
pages 312-323

Chapter 32 Snares of Satan

22min
pages 304-311

Chapter 29 The Origin of Evil

22min
pages 288-295

Chapter 31 Agency of Evil Spirits

11min
pages 300-303

Chapter 27 Modern Revivals

32min
pages 269-279

Chapter 30 Enmity Between Man and Satan

10min
pages 296-299

Chapter 28 Facing Life’s Record

23min
pages 280-287

Chapter 26 A Work of Reform

17min
pages 263-268

Chapter 25 God’s Law Immutable

31min
pages 252-262

Chapter 23 What is the Sanctuary?

24min
pages 238-245

Chapter 24 In the Holy of Holies

16min
pages 246-251

Chapter 22 Prophecies Fulfilled

32min
pages 227-237

Chapter 21 A Warning Rejected

27min
pages 217-226

Chapter 20 A Great Religious Awakening

35min
pages 205-216

Chapter 19 Light Through Darkness

20min
pages 198-204

Chapter 18 American Reformation

45min
pages 183-197

Chapter 17 Heralds of the Morning

32min
pages 172-182

Chapter 16 The Pilgrim Fathers

17min
pages 166-171

Chapter 15 Behind the French Revolution

41min
pages 152-165

Chapter 12 The French Reformation

46min
pages 119-134

Chapter 14 Later English Reformers

36min
pages 140-151

Chapter 13 The Netherlands and Scandinavia

13min
pages 135-139

Chapter 11 The Protest

24min
pages 110-118

Chapter 10 Progress of Reform in Germany

20min
pages 103-109

Chapter 9 The Swiss Reformer

23min
pages 95-102

Chapter 8 Luther Before the Diet

45min
pages 80-94

Chapter 7 Luther’s Separation From Rome

44min
pages 65-79

Chapter 6 Huss and Jerome

41min
pages 51-64

Chapter 5 Early Reformation

30min
pages 41-50

Chapter 4 The Waldenses

30min
pages 31-40

Chapter 3 An Era of Spiritual Darkness

20min
pages 24-30

Chapter 1 Destiny of the World

37min
pages 5-17

Chapter 2 Scourges in the First Centuries

16min
pages 18-23
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