Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-05-03
TRIAL OF MARTIN LUTHER
Occurred 400 Years Ago at Worms,
Germany Before Diet.
PROTESTANTs Will CELEBRATE ETEAT

Luther's Stand Brought ABOUT ! re-
mendous Change Throughout the
:: World in Regard to Religion-:Was
the Father of Religious and Civil
Liberty. =. ,-..- ... 49,.
Four hundred years ago, on April
IS. 1921, Martin Luther, the German
monk and religious reformer, faced
the German Diet at Worms "a Ger,
man viltase), and refusing to rccant
brought about mighty intellectual
and religious revolution. -. ~ :.
Throughout the world, millions of
Protestants will celebrate on April Is,
the 4Octh anniversary Of Luther's trial
before that Diet. For.that reason, the
proceedings at Worms, are of timely
interest to Protestants of the United
States.
The fact that Luthers stand brought
about a tremendous change in the
history of the world is emphasized by
Professor ]. H. c. Fritz, Dean of Con-
cordia Seminary, of st. Louis, in a
narrative of Luther's actions and his
trial. Dean Fritz writes: ~,
1.-The eighteenth day of April IN the
year 1921 marks the end Of the Mid
die Ages and the beginning Of the
Modern. Era in the history OF the
world. On that day the enancipa7
ton of man from long period. OF
spiritual, intellectual, and. political
serfdom took place.. and there was
given to the world that liberty Of con-,
science, that freedom Of thought, and
that modern civilization which we
now enjoy and which, we trust, shall
remain in our inheritance until the
end OF days.
ION the eighteenth day of April,
1921, Luther was on trial before the
Diet at Worms; the man and his work
were put to crucial test. Shall the
Bible be an open book for all, or
must man submit to that authority
Of the church as it has been exercised
by popes and councils; shall the right
of private Judgment be granted or de-
MED; shall the yoke laid upon the in
tellect by the medieval system remain
and become more burdensome. or shall
the intellect be freed and enter upon
an err of new development; shall ma
tions and peoples be tyrannized by
religious and civil rulers; or shall the
right of civil and religious liberty be
granted?
"These were the great issues which
Luther's answer to the question,
whether or not he would recant what
he had spoken and written, should de-
eide. .a,
All historians agree that Luther's
firm stand at Worms in 1921 brought
about a mighty revolution and tre-
mendousr change in the history of the
world. .,.,.......>. :.
'In 1920, the year prior to the Diet
at Worms, Luther had written three
epoch-making works: To the Chris
tian Nobility of the German Nation,
The Rabyionian Captivity of the
Church. and On Christian Liberty
In these writings Luther gave clear
outline of his theology. -.
IN thc meantime Eek and AleHan-
der, the paral nuncios brought the
bull OF accommodation to Germany.
Luther burned it publicly on Decem-
ber 10. Leo Y urged Charles V Ger
man Empcrcr) to put Luther under
the ban of the empire. Charles was
willing TO comply, but the German
PRINCES insisted that Luther must not
be condemned unheard. Accordingly
Luther was summoned to appear be-
fore the Diet; and answer for himself.
"Luther's friends were uneasy; they
feared for his very life; they remind
ed him of the fate Of Huss; they had
little confidence in the emperor's safe
conduct To say that Luther was un-
disturbed, would almost mean to deny
that he was human, but his fear was
overcome by trust in Him. whose bat
tie he was convinced that he was
fighting. 4 will 60 he said, though
there be as many devils in Worms as
there are tiles on the roofs OF the
houses
THE trial had been set for April
II, at six o'clock in the evening, Luth-
er was called before the Diet. what
was the poor monk to be tried TOR:
What had he done? He had written
95 theses against the abuse of indul-
gcnce: he had taught that in the
church the Bible is the only authority;
he had insisted upon faith in Jesus
Christ and a life OF good works; he
had attacked the doctrines OF the pap
acy. He was not to be tried, he was
simply to be called upon to say one
word, 'Rcvoco,' that is, recant.
"On the following day, Luther ap-
pcared again before the Diet and gave
his answer.
wilt thou defend all the books ac-
knowledged to be thine (Luther mad
acknowledged the books to be his on
the day before) or at least recant IN
part?' That was the question which
was put to Luther in German and
Latin.
Luther replied at some length. He
said that he was willing to recant and