Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1521-1530.djvu/273

 Thereupon, even though this plan may have been just and true, I perceived that my work was useless, for even though it may be right to cast to the flames a man who sets himself against articles of faith, or any other teachings which have such wide approval in the Church as to be of equal authority with them, nevertheless it is not just to punish any and every error with fire, unless it is accompanied by sedition or some other offence which the law punishes with death. The Gos- pel ought not to be a valid pretext for men to sin without receiving punishment, but neither ought sin to be committed even though the law may allow it. On the subject of the power of the Pope the theologians of Paris differ at many points from those of Italy, and one party or the other must be in error, but neither invokes the fire against the other. Those who follow Thomas differ on many points from those who adhere to Scotus,* and yet the same school tolerates both parties. I now greatly fear that by these vulgar meas- ures, i.e., recantations, prisons and burnings, the evil will only become worse. At Brussels two men were burned, and then the city began to take Luther's part. If the plague had re- mained confined to a few it could have been checked, but now it has spread so far that I believe even the rulers are in danger. Who is moved by these recantations that are ex- torted by fear of the fire? When one and another is exe- cuted, what other effect has it than merely to irritate the minds of a large faction? Assuming that the evil can be put down by these measures, what is the use of putting it down when it sprouts up again more vigorous than ever? I had hoped that the Pope and the princes could be brought to accept fair terms, and that even Luther would yield some- thing, but now I see that there are some Lutherans of whom I have no hope that they will listen to any just laws. There- fore I am doing the only thing that is left to do, and, with a clear conscience, seeking occasion to make what contribu- tion I can to the patching up of a public peace, and even if the best outcome cannot be secured, nevertheless I shall not

^ The Thomists and the Scotists were the two great schools of medieval the- ologians. The former adhered to the theology of Thomas Aquinas (died xa74), the latter to the theology of Duns Scotus (died 1308).

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