n of the points of dissent, between the Protestants
and Papists, even at that day? During the entire six weeks that
Melancthon was at Augsburg, before the arrival of the Emperor, his mind
was in this agitated and alarmed condition. According to his own
account he continued daily to make changes in the Confession, _after_
it had been submitted to Luther. No wonder, therefore, that Luther,
responding to Melancthon's inquiry, "what more they could yield to the
Romanists," makes this rather dissatisfied reply, under date June 29:
"_Your Apology_ (the Augsburg Confession, as altered by Melancthon.
after Luther had sanctioned it on the 15th of May, and it had been
presented to tho diet on the 25th of June,) _I have received, and
wonder what you mean, when you desire to know, what and how much, may
be yielded to the papists. As far as I am concerned, TOO MUCH HAS
ALREADY BEEN YIELDED TO THEM IN THE APOLOGY (Confession)." [Note 14]
Here it in evident that the various changes, made by Melancthon between
the 15th of May and 25th of June, led Luther to affirm what American
Lutherans now maintain, that _he had yielded too much to the papists in
the Augsburg Confession_. "I daily altered and recast the greater part
of it, (says Melancthon himself,) and would [Note 15] have altered still
more if our counsellors [sic] had allowed it." And so much greater was
his dissatisfaction at the still more important concessions, [Note 16]
which Melancthon and his associates were willing to make, in their
negotiations after the Confession had been delivered, that, in a letter
of Sept. 20, to _Justus Jonas_, one of the principal Protestant
theologians at the Diet, he gives vent to his feelings in the following
remarkable language: "I almost burst with anger and displeasure, (Ich
boerste schier fuer Zorn und Widerwillen,) and I beg you only to cut
short the matter, cease to negotiate with them (the Papists,) any
longer, and come home. They have the Confession. They have the gospel.
If they are willing to yield to it, then it is well. If they are
unwilling, they may go. If war comes out of it, let it come. We have
entreated and done enough. The Lord has prepared them as victims for the
slaughter, that he may reward them according to their works. But us, his
people, he will deliver, even if we were sitting in the fiery furnace at
Babylon." [Note 17] Thus have we heard abundant evidence from the lips
of Melancthon and Luther themselves, that the circums