Identifier: martinluthermanh00mcgi (find matches)
Title: Martin Luther, the man and his work
Year: 1911 (1910s)
Authors: McGiffert, Arthur Cushman, 1861-1933
Subjects: Luther, Martin, 1483-1546
Publisher: New York, The Century Co.
Contributing Library: Princeton Theological Seminary Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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t in danger and death. But it is all to be under-stood as referring to defense. How can a man use hisbody and his miserable life in a better and more praise-worthy way than in such service of God, for the rescueof divine honor, and the protection of poor Christendom,as David, Hezekiah, and other holy kings and princesdid? Such affairs are worth venturing body and life for. The other question is whether the defender is bound towait until his enemy actually begins the attack. Our an-swer to this is, When the ban is pronounced against oneor more allies the enemy has already declared war andthe defender has the right to anticipate attack, as bothnatural and written law prescribe, according to the rulereferred to above. For the gospel does not forbid, butconfirms, the rulers office and natural law. The complete change of attitude is very interesting,showing to what a degree the necessities of the devel-oping political situation had influenced the originallysimple-minded and unworldly monk.
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a photograph by Wilhelm Ernst & Son, BeriiiLUTHERS ROOM IN THE COBURG RELIGION AND POLITICS 351 The spring of 1531 found the emperor in no posi-tion to enforce the decision of the Diet of Augsburgand compel the Protestants to recant and submit.Banded together as they were, the evangelical statespresented too strong a front to be attacked with im-punity, while among the Catholic rulers there was toomuch jealousy of the growing power of the house ofHapsburg to enable the emperor to count upon theirunited support. Meanwhile the need of internal har-mony became ever more imperative. On the east,Germany was menaced with a Turkish invasion, fromwhich the territory of the emperors brother Ferdinandof Austria must suffer most. On the west, Charlessold enemy Francis was continually threatening war,and an alliance between him and the Schmalkaldleague seemed not improbable. In these circum-stances a conflict with the Protestant princes of Ger-many was the last thing the emperor desired. In t

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