This was carrying the war into Africa.  Appealing to a future general council and the Scriptures as superior to popes, he now called upon the emperor, electors, princes, and all classes and estates in the whole German empire, as they valued the Gospel and the favor of Christ, to stand by him in this demonstration.

And, that all might be certified in due form, he called a notary and five witnesses to hear and attest the same as verily the solemn act and deed of Martin Luther, done in behalf of himself and all who stood or should stand with him.

Rome persisted in forcing a schism, and this was Luther’s bill of divorcement.

Nay, more; as Rome had sealed its condemnation of him by burning his books, he built a stack of fagots on the refuse piles outside the Elster Gate of Wittenberg, invited thither the whole university, and when the fires were kindled and the flames were high, he cast into them, one by one, the books of the canon law, the Decretals, the Clementines, the Papal Extravagants, and all that lay at the base of the religion of the hierarchy!  And when these were consumed he took Leo’s Bull of excommunication, held it aloft, exclaiming with a loud voice, “Since thou hast afflicted the saints of God, be thou consumed with fire unquenchable!” and dashed the impious document into the flames.

Well done was that!  Luther considered it the best act of his life.  It was a brave heart, the bravest then living in this world, that dared to do it.  But it was done then and for ever.  Wittenberg looked on with shoutings.  The whole modern world of civilized man has ever since been looking on with thrilling wonder.  And myriads of the sons of God and liberty are shouting over it yet.

The miner’s son had come up full abreast with the triple-crowned descendant of the Medici.  The monk of Wittenberg had matched the proudest monarch in the world.  Henceforth the question was, Which of them should sway the nations in the time to come?

THE DIET OF WORMS.

The young emperor sided with the religion of the pope.  The venerable Elector Frederick determined to stand by Luther, at least till his case was fairly adjudged.  He said it was not just to condemn a good and honest man unheard and unconvicted, and that “Justice must take precedence even of the pope.”

Conferences of state now became numerous and exciting, and the efforts of Rome to have Luther’s excommunication recognized and enforced were many and various, but nothing short of a Diet of the empire could settle the disturbance.[11]