The Great Controversy The Great Controversy | Page 135

any delay.” If he should remain steadfast, and the legate should fail to
gain possession of his person, he was empowered “to proscribe him in
every part of Germany; to banish, curse, and excommunicate all those
who are attached to him.”—Ibid., b. 4, ch. 2. And, further, the pope
directed his legate, in order entirely to root out the pestilent heresy, to
excommunicate all, of whatever dignity in church or state, except the
emperor, who should neglect to seize Luther and his adherents, and
deliver them up to the vengeance of Rome.
Here is displayed the true spirit of popery. Not a trace of Christian
principle, or even of common justice, is to be seen in the whole
document. Luther was at a great distance from Rome; he had had no
opportunity to explain or defend his position; yet before his case had
been investigated, he was summarily pronounced a heretic, and in the
same day, exhorted, accused, judged, and condemned; and all this by the
self-styled holy father, the only supreme, infallible authority in church
or state!
At this time, when Luther so much needed the sympathy and
counsel of a true friend, God’s providence sent Melanchthon to
Wittenberg. Young in years, modest and diffident in his manners,
Melanchthon’s sound judgment, extensive knowledge, and winning
eloquence, combined with the purity and uprightness of his character,
won universal admiration and esteem. The brilliancy of his talents was
not more marked than his gentleness of disposition. He soon became
an earnest disciple of the gospel, and Luther’s most trusted friend
and valued supporter; his gentleness, caution, and exactness serving
as a complement to Luther’s courage and energy. Their union in the
work added strength to the Reformation and was a source of great
encouragement to Luther.
Augsburg had been fixed upon as the place of trial, and the Reformer
set out on foot to perform the journey thither. Serious fears were
entertained in his behalf. Threats had been made openly that he would
be seized and murdered on the way, and his friends begged him not to
venture. They

134