An echo of his tempestuous sermon of November 27 is to be found in the
pamphlet which Luther published at the commencement of 1525: “On the
abomination of Silent Masses” (against the Canon of the Mass). In the
Preface he refers directly to the inglorious proceedings against the
unfortunate Chapter. He finds it necessary to declare that he, for
his part, had aroused no revolt, for what was done by the established
authorities could not be termed revolt; the “secular gentlemen,”
who, according to him, constituted the established authorities, had,
however, felt it their duty to take steps against the Catholic worship
in the Collegiate Church.
In that same year, 1525, under the auspices of the new Elector Johann,
a great friend to Lutheranism, who succeeded the Elector Frederick upon
his death on May 5, 1525, and whom Luther had long before won over
to his cause, the order of Divine Service at Wittenberg was entirely
altered. “The Pope” was at last, as Spalatin joyfully proclaimed
throughout the city, “completely set aside.”[980]
* * * * *
Under the rule of the Elector Johann, Luther at once carried out the
complete suppression of Catholic worship throughout the Electorate.
On October 1, 1525, Spalatin wrote to the Elector Johann: “Dr. Martin
also says, that your Electoral Grace is on no account to permit anyone
to continue the anti-Christian ceremonies any longer, or to start them
again.”[981]
With the object of helping him in his work at Court and of removing
any scruples he might have, Luther explained to Spalatin, in a letter
of November 11 of the same year, that by stamping out the Catholic
worship rulers would not be forcing the faith on anyone, but merely
prohibiting such open abominations as the Mass; if anyone, in spite of
all, desired to believe in it privately, or to blaspheme in secret, no
coercion would be exercised.[982] No attention was paid to the rights
of Catholics to a Divine Worship, attendance at which was to them a
matter of conscience. They were simply to be permitted to emigrate;
if they chose to remain they were not to “perform or take any part in
any public worship.”[983] It was on such principles as these that the
Memorandum which Spalatin presented to the Elector on January 10, 1526,
was based.[984]
Luther himself appealed to the Elector on February 9, 1526, seeking to
“fortify his conscience” and to encourage him “to attack the idolaters
with even greater readiness.” He points out to him, first, how damnable
is the blasphemous, idolatrous worship; were he to afford it any
protection, then “all the abominations against God would eventually
weigh upon his, the Prince’s, conscience”; secondly, that differences
in religious worship would inevitably give rise to “revolt and
tumults”; hence the ruler must provide that “in each locality there be
but one doctrine.”[985]
To the force of such arguments Johann could not but yield.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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