said , ' Peace be unto you ; behold My hands ;' that is to say , Behold , O man ! it is I , I alone , who have taken away thy sin , and ransomed thee ; and now thou hast peace , saith the Lord ."
He continued , showing that true faith will be manifested by a holy life . " Since God has saved us , let us so order our works that they may be acceptable to Him . Art thou rich ? let thy goods administer to the necessities of the poor . Art thou poor ? let thy services be acceptable to the rich . If thy labor is useful to thyself alone , the service that thou pretendest to render unto God is a lie ." -- Ibid ., b . 7 , ch . 7 . The people listened as if spellbound . The bread of life was broken to those starving souls . Christ was lifted up before them as above popes , legates , emperors , and kings . Luther made no reference to his own perilous position . He did not seek to make himself the object of thought or sympathy . In the contemplation of Christ he had lost sight of self . He hid behind the Man of Calvary , seeking only to present Jesus as the sinner ' s Redeemer .
As the Reformer proceeded on his journey , he was everywhere regarded with great interest . An eager multitude thronged about him , and friendly voices warned him of the purpose of the Romanists . " They will burn you ," said some , " and reduce your body to ashes , as they did with John Huss ." Luther answered , " Though they should kindle a fire all the way from Worms to Wittenberg , the flames of which reached to heaven , I would walk through it in the name of the Lord ; I would appear before them ; I would enter the jaws of this behemoth , and break his teeth , confessing the Lord Jesus Christ ." -- Ibid ., b . 7 , ch . 7 .
The news of his approach to Worms created great commotion . His friends trembled for his safety ; his enemies feared for the success of their cause . Strenuous efforts were made to dissuade him from entering the city . At the instigation of the papists he was urged to repair to the castle of a friendly knight , where , it was declared , all difficulties could be amicably adjusted . Friends endeavored to excite his fears by describing the dangers that threatened him . All their efforts failed . Luther , still unshaken , declared : " Even should there be as many devils in Worms as tiles on the housetops , still I would enter it ." -- Ibid ., b . 7 , ch . 7 . Upon his arrival at Worms , a vast crowd flocked to the gates to welcome him . So great a concourse had not assembled to greet the emperor himself . The excitement was intense , and from the midst of the throng a shrill and plaintive voice chanted a funeral dirge as a warning to Luther of the fate that awaited him . " God will be my defense ," said he , as he alighted from his carriage .
The papists had not believed that Luther would really venture to appear at Worms , and his arrival filled them with consternation . The emperor immediately summoned his councilors to consider what course should be pursued . One of the bishops , a rigid papist , declared : " We
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