CHURCH HISTORY

After the war in Italy had ended in a profitable peace for the Emperor, the German princes again convened at Spires in the year 1529 to deliberate the religious interests of Germany. The princes opposing the Reformation knew that they could now depend upon the attention and support of the Emperor. At this second Diet of Spires another great effort was made to stay the progress of the Reformation, and they succeeded in having the liberty withdrawn which had been granted to the Reformers at the previous diet. Although the evangelically disposed princes were not yet constrained to introduce the abuses of Rome again into their states, they were not allowed to do anything that could advance the Reformation, however. They were also to prohibit the publication of any new writings of Luther.

The princes who favored the true Gospel could not submit to this resolution. They gave notice of their objections in a certain document, in which they also appealed to the Emperor. All those who would not submit to the church of Rome were called Protestants because of their protests. Many princes signed this protest. It was subsequently read before the Diet, and on the following day three delegates were on their way to Italy to deliver it to the Emperor, Charles V, who was then visiting that country.

It was during this time that Philip, Landgrave of Hesse, was attempting to remove the differences which had arisen amongst the Protestants in respect to some of the evangelical doctrines. With this purpose in mind he had invited Zwingli and Luther to be present at a conference at Marburg in October, 1529. We already have observed that he did not attain his goal; Luther and the Swiss reformer could not agree and thus could not labor together in unity.

The delegates arrived in Italy and delivered their protest to the Emperor, but Charles refused to listen to the objections of the Protestants. He remained firmly resolved to put an end to the Reformation as quickly as possible.

In this disposition he summoned the German princes to convene in Diet at Augsburg and he would then be present also. The Protestants were required to explain their stand on several doctrines, for which they were already prepared. Elector John had asked Melanchthon to draw up a document briefly stating the faith and doctrine of the Lutherans. Melanchthon complied with this request and prepared a confession of faith, approved by Luther, which became known as the Augsburg Confession. This Confession was signed by the Protestant princes and was presented and read before the Diet.

The Emperor did not show much receptiveness, but appointed certain Roman Catholic theologians to confute these articles. This reply was also read before the Diet, and thereupon the Emperor demanded that the Protestants abandon their resistive opinions and recall their confession. When these men refused to do so, the Roman Catholics again urged that the decisions of the Diet of Worms should be maintained and that measures of force should be taken against them. Charles hesitated to oppress the Reformation by force, however. The Protestant princes had become a mighty party, and the Emperor had carefully observed that they would not submit at any price. He realized that if he would use weapons to force them to submission, a war would be the inevitable result; and there were reasons to fear that the Turks, who had more than once threatened the German Empire, would make use of such an occasion to renew their invasions. With the political conditions continuing to be such, the Emperor did not dare to use measures of force as yet, but decided to first try to reconcile the Roman Catholics and the Protestants.

Naturally the Protestants could not yield to the demands of the Roman Catholics, and Charles now declared that he had done all he could possibly do. He issued an edict giving the Protestants a certain length of time to reconsider and to conform to the requirements of Rome, and declared that if they still refused to submit they would be compelled to do so by force.

During that same year Melanchthon framed and presented to the Emperor a writing in defense of the Augsburg Confession, but he refused to accept it. The Protestant princes, realizing that it was not advisable for them to remain at Augsburg any longer, all left as soon as possible.

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