“From the reason just now given, a suspension of proceeding against Luther took place for eighteen months, though perpetual negotiations were carried on. The manner in which these were conducted having given our reformer many opportunities of observing the corruption of the court of Rome, its obstinacy in adhering to established errors, and its indifference about truth, he began in 1520 to utter some doubts with regard to the Divine origin of the papal authority, which he publicly disputed with Eccius, one of his most learned and formidable antagonists. The papal authority being once suspected, Luther proceeded to push on his inquiries and attacks from one doctrine to another, till at last he began to shake the foundations on which the wealth and power of the church were established. Leo then began to perceive that there were no hopes of reclaiming such an incorrigible heretic, and therefore prepared to pronounce the sentence of excommunication against him. The college of cardinals was often assembled, in order to prepare the sentence with due deliberation; and the ablest canonists were consulted how it might be expressed with unexceptionable formality. At last it was issued, on the 15th of June, 1520. Forty‐one propositions, extracted out of Luther’s works, were therein condemned as heretical, scandalous, and offensive to pious ears; all persons were forbidden to read his writings, upon pain of excommunication; such as had any of them in their custody were commanded to commit them to the flames; he himself, if he did not within sixty days publicly recant his errors, and burn his books, was pronounced an obstinate heretic, excommunicated, and delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh; and all secular princes were required, under pain of incurring the same censure, to seize his person, that he might be punished as his crimes deserved.” (Buck.) With the excommunication of Luther, “the fat was in the fire”; and it was useless for the Roman Catholic Church to try to stem the tide of the Reformation. Her period for repentance ended with the “chronos,” 360 years, June 15, 1520.—See 3d paragraph, page 41. 2:22. Behold, I will cast her into a bed.—Not a bed of ease, but a bed of pain. See Diaglott. There where she sinned she shall suffer. And them that commit adultery with her.—All the powers that receive her legates or that maintain representatives at the Vatican. Knowing her character, they are equally guilty. Into great tribulation.—They are getting some now, and will get more soon. Except they repent of [their] HER deeds.—This teaches that the present situation in Europe is the direct result of the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. 2:23. And I will kill her children.—“Both Romanists and Protestants now freely own the relationship of mother and daughters, the former continually styling herself the Holy Mother Church, and the latter, with pleased complacency, endorsing the idea.”—D. 28; Isa. 57:3, 4. See p. 111.