them, and that after hearing Luther in private, and candidly examining his books, their decision should be final. Frederic was, however, determined against this plan, as he knew it would not meet with Luther's approbation or consent.*

er.

During these unfruitful conferences, the Emperor was daily becoming more attached to the party of Rome, who incessantly urged him to take some decisive step against Luther, and by all means to prevent, if possible, his appearance at the diet. With this view he went so far as to endeavour to prevail on the Elector to be satisfied with giving his own safe conduct to the reformFrederic was not, however, duped by this artifice; but persisted in opposing the fluctuating measures of the Emperor, till he received the imperial safe conduct for Luther, and assurances of protection for him, from all the princes through whose states he was to pass. Besides the safe conduct, a letter was sent from the Emperor by Gasper Sturm, who was himself more than half a Lutheran, requiring him to be at Worms within 21 days.‡

Luther left Wittemberg as soon as he had received the Emperor's order, and preached on his way at Erfert, Gotha, and Eisenach. Till now the popish partizans had hoped that the danger to which he was exposed would deter him from appearing; but when they understood that he was actually on the road, they would have moved heaven and earth to stop him. Reports

of his destruction being determined on, and of his being already condemned, were so artfully spread, that his best friends were deceived, and wrote him, if he valued his life, to return. But none of these things moved him; and though weak and languishing, he said, in a letter to Spalatin from Francfort, "Christ lives. This is enough. I shall enter Worms, though all the gates of hell and the powers of the air were against me; for I am resolved not only to despise, but to terrify the prince of darkness." When within three leagues of Worms, Spalatin, more and more alarmed for his safety, sent again, conjuring him not to proceed; but he then declared, that "though there were as many devils at Worms as there were tiles on the houses, he would enter it without fear." Escaping all these snares, he arrived at Worms in safety, with the fear of the Lord as his strength and hope.*

His entry resembled the procession of a conqueror, rather than of a man cited as a heretic. The imperial herald, in his official dress, marched before; a troop of noblemen, who went out to meet him, were his attendants; and a greater number of citizens than had welcomed the Emperor himself, guarded him to the ho tel of the knights of Rhodes, where the Elector's ministers lodged; and where he was immediately visited by persons of the highest rank in the city and Empire.t Next day, he was conducted to the diet by Count Pappenheim, hereditary marshal

Seckend. p. 152. † Ib. p. 152, 156.

of the Empire, through such an immense crowd, that they found it necessary to go through some gardens, in order to arrive at the place of audience. On entering it, he was asked, in the name of the Emperor, "If he was the author of certain books, the names of which were read to him?" and, "If he meant to retract or to defend them?" In reply to the first question, he owned the books which were mentioned; but conscious of the important consequences both to himself, and to the cause of the reformation, which might result from the answer given to the second, he requested time for serious deliberation. On the 18th he appeared again before the diet. As he passed through the crowd, he was animated by the address of George Fronsberg, a man of great respectability, both as to rank and talents, who said to him, "My poor brother, you are now on a march scarcely less dangerous than any which I and my fellow-soldiers have made; but if you are in the right, and certain of the good ness of your cause, go in the name of the Lord; be courageous; God will not desert you." The question for which he had asked time for reflection was again put to him. His reply was modest and respectful, yet firm and decided. He declared that his sole motive in writing as he had done, was to promote the glory of God, and the good of his brethren; and plead, that as some of his publications, which treated of Christian faith and morals, were praised even by his adversaries; as others of them attacked only those corruptions in the

doctrine and practice of the church, many of which were universally acknowledged; and as a third class was directed only against individuals who had attacked and defamed him, it was impossible for him to recant, without denying and condemning truth and piety, authorizing and strengthening tyranny and superstition, and giving countenance to the most dangerous, because unsuspected enemies of religion. He acknowledged that he had written with too much acrimony; but contended, that the truth of opinions is independent of the dress or spirit in which they appear and declared, that as a man, he was conscious he was fallible, and if any one should convince him of error, by the testimony of Scripture, he would immediately retract, and be the first to burn the writings in which it might be contained. When the official indignantly told him, that he had not spoken to the point, and insisted on a simple and direct answer whether he would retract or not, Luther immediately replied, "that unless he should be tried by scripture and reason, and by them convinced of heresy, as he had no faith in the infallibility of popes, or councils, whose errors and contradictions were notorious, he neither could nor would retract; because it was neither safe nor honourable for a man to act against his conscience." Eckius said, that he had revived the heresies condemned by the council of Constance; and the. Emperor openly proposed to proceed against him as an enemy to the church, by denouncing the heaviest punishments against

him, and all who should support him; though he refused to violate the safe conduct which he had given him. The Electors and other members of the diet had recourse to private negociations; but Luther continued firm in his adherence to scripture, as the only test by which he would allow his tenets to be examined; and after being press ́ed by various arguments addressed to his love of peace, his regard for the church, his worldly inter ́est, and his fear of danger, and being asked himself to propose some means of accommodation, "I know none," said he, "but that of Gamaliel; if this work be of men, it will come to nought; but if it be of God, you cannot overturn it."*

When these negociations were finished without success, Luther received orders to leave Worms immediately, under a safe conduct for twenty-one days, and a prohibition from inflaming the minds of the people, either by preaching or writing during the journey. But though he was permitted to depart in safety, he was no sooner gone, than the impetuosity of the Emperor,

Acta Wormatia habita. Luth, Oper. tom. 2.

which had been, with difficulty, so long restrained, broke out in a most violent sentence, which declared Luther to be a member cut off from the church, a schismatic, a notorious and obstinate heretic; acknowledged the Pope to be supreme judge in the controversy; and threatened all who countenanced the heretic of Wittemberg, by hospitality, intercourse, friendship, or even correspondence, with a similar condemnation. The effect expected from this imperial edict, was greatly diminished by the manner in which Luther was treated in being simply ordered to retract, without the very appearance of an attempt to disprove his doctrines; by the absence of a considerable number of the princes when the sentence was passed, which deprived it of authority in their territories; and by the subsequent occupation of Charles in matters more immediately connected with the temporal security of his extensive and envied power.

The Life of Luther, with which is necessarily connected interesting views of the Reformation, will be concluded in the two first numbers of the Panoplist,

vol. II.

DUTIES TO THE RISING GENER

ATION.

EVERY generation of men enters on the stage of life deeply indebted to the preceding generation. It is a debt which they never have full opportunity to

discharge, until, by Divine Providence, they are brought into the place which their fathers filled, and, like them, are called to stand as the guardians and instructors of another generation. Then, they are taught, by expe

rience, what was done for them in their younger age. Then, they have opportunity to discharge an immense debt.

Important is the place which all parents are called to fill, and innumerable are the cares which have devolved upon them. These cares, innumerable and weighty as they are, come upon each generation, in consequence of the appointment of God. Although men are made capable of being taught, yet they possess no innate ideas. They are not born into the world with a store - of knowledge; but they commence their existence, in a state of as great ignorance as the brutes commence theirs. They have every thing to learn respecting this world and the future. Surely they need much instruction. They need faithful guides and counsellors. According to the appointment of God, they ordinarily first fall in to the hands of those who were instrumental of their existence. From them they receive their first and strongest impressions. Under the care of their parents, and in view of their example, they form characters for eternity. Who, that stand in the place of parents, can think of these things, without seeing the importance of faithfulness to their offspring! One branch of the duty of parents is to teach their rising offspring how to live in this world, and to fit them to be good and reputable members of society. To be useful to them in this respect, as they may be, and as they are under obligations to be, requires great attention and persevering diligence. With the risen generation are entrusted the experience and improvements of

past ages, to be, by them, faithfully transmitted to the generation to come. But, to teach posterity how to live in this world is only a small part of their duty. They possess, or have the means of possessing, knowledge which is infinitely more important. That instruction, which, above every thing else, they are to communicate to the rising generation, is derived from the volume of inspiration, and relates to eternal things. Entrusted, as parents are in this highly favoured land, with the oracles of God, which are the fountain of light, they are under obligation to teach their offspring all the distinguishing doctrines contained in them. They are to teach them the character of God, the purity, extent. and immutability of his law, the entire moral corruption of the human race, the necessity of regeneration by the agency of the Holy Spirit, the distinguishing grace of God, by which sinners are brought to the saving knowledge of the truth, the inexcusaLleness of men in sinning, the real divinity and all-sufficiency of the Saviour, the necessity of that faith which unites the soul to Christ, and which leads the subject of it to purity of life, the necessity of mourning for sin after a godly sort, and the certainty of future rewards and punishments. These are some of the plain and distinguishing doctrines revealed in the word of God; and being found there, we are bound to receive them as eternal truths, and faithfully to teach them to the rising generation. In faithfulness to their trust, parents are to make known to their children all those duties enjoined in the scriptures, the