a power, Melanchthon kept aloof as far as possible from the Zwinglians and Strassburgers. On the
8th of July he had a personal interview with Campeggi, and Aug. 4 he submitted to him a few mild
conditions of peace. The cardinal expressed his great satisfaction at these concessions, but prudently
reserved his answer till he should hear from Rome.
All these approaches failed. Rome would listen to nothing but absolute submission.
Melanchthon soon found out that the papal divines, especially Eck, were full of pharisaical
pride and malice. He was severely censured by the Nürnbergers and by Philip of Hesse for his
weakness, and even charged by some with treason to the evangelical cause. His conduct must be
judged in the light of the fact that the Roman Church allowed a certain freedom on the controverted
points of anthropology and soteriology, and did not formally condemn the evangelical doctrines
till several years afterwards, in the Council of Trent. The Augsburg Confession itself takes this
view of the matter, by declaring at the close of the doctrinal articles: "This is the sum of doctrine
among us, in which can be seen nothing which is discrepant with Scripture, nor with the Catholic
or even with the Roman Church, so far as that Church is known from the writings of the Fathers."
Melanchthon may be charged with moral weakness and mistake of judgment, but not with
unfaithfulness. Luther remained true to his invaluable friend, who was indispensable to the
evangelical cause, and did it the greatest service at Augsburg. He comforted him in his letters from
Coburg.^955
The Lutheran Confession was referred for answer, i.e., for refutation, to a commission of
twenty Roman theologians, who were present at the Diet, including Eck, Faber, Cochlaeus, Wimpina,
and Dittenberger. Their answer was ready July 13, but declined by the Emperor on account of its
length and bitter tone. After undergoing five revisions, it was approved and publicly read on the
3d of August before the Diet, in the same chapel in which the Protestant Confession had been read.
The Emperor pronounced the answer "Christian and well-considered." He was willing to hand a
copy to the Protestants, on condition to keep it private; but Melanchthon prepared a refutation, at
the request of the Lutheran princes.
The Emperor, in his desire for a peaceful result, arranged a conference between the
theological leaders of the two parties. Eck, Wimpina, and Cochlaeus represented the Roman
Catholics; Melanchthon, Brenz, and Schnepf, the Lutherans. The discussion began Aug. 16, but
proved a failure. A smaller committee conferred from the 24th to the 29th of August, but with no
better result. Melanchthon hoped against hope, and made concession after concession, to conciliate
the bishops and the Emperor. But the Roman divines insisted on a recognition of an infallible
church, a perpetual sacrifice, and a true priesthood. They would not even give up clerical celibacy,
and the withdrawal of the cup from the laity; and demanded a restoration of the episcopal jurisdiction,
of church property, and of the convents.
Luther, writing from Coburg, urged the hesitating theologians and princes to stand by their
colors. He, too, was willing to restore innocent ceremonies, and even to consent to the restoration
pontificis auctoritatem et universam politiam ecclesiasticam reverenter colimus, modo nos non abjiciat Rom. pontifex. ... Nullam ob rem
aliam plus odii sustinemus in Germania, quam quia ecclesiae Romanae dogmata summa constantia defendimus. Hanc fidem Christo et
Romanae ecclesiae ad extremum spiritum, Deo volente, praestabimus. Levis quaedam dissimilitudo rituum est quae videtur obstare
concordiae."Of similar import are the propositions he sent to Campeggi, Aug. 4 (fol. 246).(^955) See letter of Sept. 11, 1530, in De Wette, IV. 163.