When he was again ushered into the presence of the Diet , his countenance bore no trace of fear or embarrassment . Calm and peaceful , yet grandly brave and noble , he stood as God ' s witness among the great ones of the earth . The imperial officer now demanded his decision as to whether he desired to retract his doctrines . Luther made his answer in a subdued and humble tone , without violence or passion . His demeanour was diffident and respectful ; yet he manifested a confidence and joy that surprised the assembly .
" Most serene emperor , illustrious princes , gracious lords ," said Luther , " I appear before you this day , in conformity with the order given me yesterday , and by God ' s mercies I conjure your majesty and your august highnesses to listen graciously to the defense of a cause which I am assured is just and true . If , through ignorance , I should transgress the usages and proprieties of courts , I entreat you to pardon me ; for I was not brought up in the palaces of kings , but in the seclusion of a convent ." -- Ibid ., b . 7 , ch . 8 . Then , proceeding to the question , he stated that his published works were not all of the same character . In some he had treated of faith and good works , and even his enemies declared them not only harmless but profitable . To retract these would be to condemn truths which all parties confessed . The second class consisted of writings exposing the corruptions and abuses of the papacy . To revoke these works would strengthen the tyranny of Rome and open a wider door to many and great impieties . In the third class of his books he had attacked individuals who had defended existing evils . Concerning these he freely confessed that he had been more violent than was becoming .
He did not claim to be free from fault ; but even these books he could not revoke , for such a course would embolden the enemies of truth , and they would then take occasion to crush God ' s people with still greater cruelty . " Yet I am but a mere man , and not God ," he continued ; " I shall therefore defend myself as Christ did : ' If I have spoken evil , bear witness of the evil .' . . . By the mercy of God , I conjure you , most serene emperor , and you , most illustrious princes , and all men of every degree , to prove from the writings of the prophets and apostles that I have erred . As soon as I am convinced of this , I will retract every error , and be the first to lay hold of my books and throw them into the fire .
" What I have just said plainly shows , I hope , that I have carefully weighed and considered the dangers to which I expose myself ; but far from being dismayed , I rejoice to see that the gospel is now , as in former times , a cause of trouble and dissension . This is the character , this is the destiny , of the word of God . ' I came not to send peace on earth , but a sword ,' said Jesus Christ . God is wonderful and terrible in His counsels ; beware lest , by presuming to quench dissensions , you should persecute the holy word of God , and draw down upon yourselves a frightful deluge of insurmountable dangers , of present disasters , and eternal desolation . . . . I might quote many examples from the oracles of God . I might speak of the Pharaohs , the kings of Babylon , and those of Israel , whose labours never more effectually contributed to their own destruction than when they
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