In his work “To the Nobility on the Improving of the Christian State,”
Luther still took it for granted that the Emperor, Princes and
influential laity would forcibly rescue Christendom from the state
of corruption in which it was sunk, and that after Christendom had
accepted the evangel, the pre-existing order of things would continue
very much as before under a reformed episcopate; should the bishops
refuse to come over to the Gospel, plenty “idle parsons” would be
found to take their place. As a matter of fact, he had no clear idea
in his mind regarding the future shaping of affairs.
At the Diet of Worms it became evident that his fantastic dreams
were not to be realised, for the Empire, instead of welcoming
him, proclaimed him an outlaw. Luther, accordingly, trusting to
his mystical ideas, now persuaded himself that his cause and the
reorganisation of Christendom would be undertaken by Christ alone.
In the Wartburg Luther received the fullest and most definite assurance
that the temporal powers who were opposed to him at Worms would submit
themselves in these latter days to the Word which he preached, and that
the weakening of the Church’s authority which had been begun had not
proceeded nearly far enough. It was revealed to him that his work was
yet at its beginning and that there yet remained to be established new
communities of Christians sharing his views. Hence we find him writing
to Frederick, his Elector, on March 7, 1522: “The spiritual tyranny
has been weakened, to do which has been the sole aim of my writings;
now I perceive that God wills to carry it still further as He did with
Jerusalem and its twofold government. I have recently learnt that not
only the spiritual but also the temporal power must give way to the
Evangel, willingly or unwillingly; this is plainly shown in all the
Bible narratives.”[253] With the Bible in his hand he seeks to prove,
from the passages relating to the end of the world, and the reign of
Antichrist, that, before the end of all, Christ will overthrow the
anti-Christian powers by the “breath of His mouth.”
“It is the mouth of Christ which must do this.” “Now may I and everyone
who speaks the word of Christ freely boast that his mouth is the mouth
of Christ.” “Another man, one whom the Papists cannot see, is driving
the wheel, and therefore they attribute it all to us, but they shall
yet be convinced of it.”[254]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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