Evening star., 1928-05-27

they should resume the right of filling
all ecclesiastical beneflces and should
constitute themselves the owners of all
church property In the land. Half OF
Luther's battle was won.
Accommodation of Luther.
The other half would be with the
agents of the InquiSition. In 1920 Lu-
ther received a papal bull eXcommuni-
eating him and directing the civil au-
thoritieS to arrest him. At the same
time Charles V, King Of Spain and
Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
called the princes and ccclesiastics OF
Germany to the Diet of Worms. and
instructed them to summon and try
Luther. and put an end to the turmoil
he had raised. Luther publicly burned
Leos bull. doing It in trembling and
PRAYER; but afterwards I felt better over
It than over any act in all my life.
Those who rcmon-o~' Huss marve!ed
al the mans audacity.
They marveled all the more, remem-
ber;ng the treachery Of the Council OF
Constance. when Luther, with the SaN-
on electors safe-conduct, went bravely
to Worms. The diet asked him to re-
cant, he refused. "Unless" he said to
them, II am convicted by Scripture or
popes nor councils since they have often
erred and contradicted themselves
-. neither can nor will recant any
thing. since 1t is neither safe nor right
TO act against conscience. God help
me- Amen" The essence of Protes-
tantism was In those words: the su-
premacy of individual conscience and
Judgment, and the exclusive authority
OF Scripture and reason over the soul.
The next great battle would be between
Scripture and reason.
The diet condemned him and Charles
V, who was nothing II not Catholic and
everything but Christian. ordered him
to be seized. But the elector of Sax
ony carried him off to a castle in the
Wartburg and hid him there till it
should be safer for him TO appear in the
streets. Luther busted his solitude by
translating the Bible; he could not
know that he was making supreme
contribution TO German literature and
adding incalculably to the strength and
richness of the German language; but
he prayed that his translation. by let
ting the people of Germany contrast the
life of the church In their own days
with the life portrayed in the New
Testament. might stir up the nation 10
support their princes In rebellion against
Rome.
A Success Beyond Bounds.
His revolt was more successful than
he wished The peasants had taken
up the cause of religious reform. in the
belief that II would bring an alienation
of the evils from which they suffered:
but when they found that the princes
we're even more Xuthless than the blsh-
OPS and the monks, they added So
cial gospel TO Luther's creed, proclaim
ed the return of primitive Christian
communism and declared a revolution
against both church and state. Some
of the followers Of Luther had ideal
ized the peasant In the fashion of Dos
toievsky and Tolstoi in the nineteenth
century; Carlstadt proclaimed that the
peasant knew better the word OF God
and the way of salvation than the most
learned professor. THE man with the
hoe"-under the name of Karsthans--
became one of the watchwords OF the
day. In 1921 three prophets from
Zwickau-MunZer. Storch and Stubner
appeared in Wittenberg, announced
that property was theft and hailed the
birth of the communist Utopia.
group of peasants formed about them,
drew up Twelve Articles" demanding
RODA4dI
to choose and dismiss pastors. the aboli-
ton of serfdom. etc. They based these
demands on what seemed TO them the
communism of Christ, who had re
deemed and delivered us all without
exception. the lowly as we'll as the
great"
The Revolutions Result.
The aristocracy, frightened. called
upon Luther TO rescue them! This re-
volt. they told him, was partly his
work. for 1t was he who had let loose
the nnderdog from his chains; had he
not, in his earlier preaching. called the
barons hangmen who only knew how 10
swindle the poor?--had he not said Of
The barons, such fellows were formerly
called scoundrels. but now we must
call them Christian and revered
princes'?"
Luther saw that the political and &C.
onomic chaos would endangcr his reli-
gious revolution; and perhaps he felt
a bcundless debt to the princes who
had preserved his life against Emperor
and Pope. He few To the rescue OF his
lords, bearded the prophets" In Wit
tenberg Itself. called upon them, If they
were real disciples Of Christ. TO put
aside all use of force. and assured them.
as st. Paul had assured another gen.
Grafton, that the inequalities oi tnls
world were inevitable and natural. ana
we're Of no consequence In the light
Of eternity. When the rebels turned
against him as traitor he lost ms
temper: wrote savagely that the Com
mon Herd (Herr Omnes) must be con-
strained by law and the sword as beasts
are held in chains and cages. that "olle
cannot argue reasonably with rebel.
hut one must answer him with the INST,
so that blood flows from his nose;
and he advised any man who came upon
a rebel TO kill him without trial or
scruple. The great reformer had the de-
fects OF his qualities a ruthlessness tnat
seemed inextricable from the courage
which carried him 10 victory over inc
church.
Nevertheless. the revolt spread; by
1928 It had shown itself in every sec
ton Of Germany. castles were burned,
mobiles were pulled down from their
horses and made 10 walk, Heilbronn,
Rothenbcrg and Wurzburg fell into the
hands OF the Communists. and MT
Frankfort there was full-nedged
Council of Workers and Peasants In
control. The princes unable TO rely
upon their own people for defense,
engaged mercenaries. whose cold SUI
perior skill soon mastered the disor-
Derby rebels. When Munger was cap
tured and executed the movement fell
to pieces 100000 peasants were slain,
and some of the leaders were slowly
roasted TO death Apparently the peas
anta' revolt was over.
But I'm 1929 another wave OF rebellion
came. The Swiss reformer Zwingli had
meanwhile been leading the religious
revolution in Zurich. and had repeated
Tuther's mistake Of contrasting the
life Of the early Christians with that
of the later church Some of the simpler
people took him at his word. and began
The Anabsptist movement for Il COM
plete return 10 primitive Communism.
they held all their goods fsuch as they
had) IN common, condemned war and
the taking Of oaths. washed one an