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From Here to Forever

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    Noble Stand of the Princes

    King Ferdinand, the emperor's representative, tried the art of persuasion. He “begged the princes to accept the decree, assuring them that the emperor would be exceedingly pleased with them.” But these faithful men answered calmly: “We will obey the emperor in everything that may contribute to maintain peace and the honor of God.”HF 127.3

    The king at last announced that “their only remaining course was to submit to the majority.” Having thus spoken, he withdrew, giving the Reformers no opportunity for reply. “They sent a deputation entreating the king to return.” He answered only, “It is a settled affair; submission is all that remains.”5Idem.HF 127.4

    The imperial party flattered themselves that the cause of the emperor and the pope was strong, and that of the Reformers weak. Had the Reformers depended upon human aid alone, they would have been as powerless as the papists supposed. But they appealed “from the report of the Diet to the word of God, and from the emperor Charles to Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords.”HF 128.1

    As Ferdinand had refused to regard their conscientious convictions, the princes decided not to heed his absence, but to bring their protest before the national council without delay. A solemn declaration was drawn up and presented to the diet:HF 128.2

    “We protest by these presents ... that we, for us and for our people, neither consent nor adhere in any manner whatsoever to the proposed decree, in anything that is contrary to God, to His holy word, to our right conscience, to the salvation of our souls. ... For this reason we reject the yoke that is imposed on us. ... At the same time we are in expectation that his imperial majesty will behave toward us like a Christian prince who loves God above all things; and we declare ourselves ready to pay unto him, as well as unto you, gracious lords, all the affection and obedience that are our just and legitimate duty.”6D'Aubigne, bk. 13, ch. 6.HF 128.3

    The majority were filled with amazement and alarm at the boldness of the protesters. Dissension, strife, and bloodshed seemed inevitable. But the Reformers, relying upon the arm of Omnipotence, were “full of courage and firmness.”HF 128.4

    “The principles contained in this celebrated protest ... constitute the very essence of Protestantism. ... Protestantism sets the power of conscience above the magistrate, and the authority of the word of God above the visible church. ... It ... says with the prophets and apostles, ‘we must obey God rather than man.’ In presence of the crown of Charles the Fifth, it uplifts the crown of Jesus Christ.”7Idem. The Protest of Spires was a solemn witness against religious intolerance and an assertion of the right of all men to worship God according to their own consciences.HF 128.5

    The experience of these noble Reformers contains a lesson for all succeeding ages. Satan is still opposed to the Scriptures being made the guide of life. In our time there is need of a return to the great Protestant principle—the Bible, and the Bible only, as the rule of faith and duty. Satan is still working to destroy religious liberty. The antichristian power which the protesters of Spires rejected is now seeking to reestablish its lost supremacy.HF 129.1

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