conquest and dominion or power, but in defeat
and weakness, as St. Paul says: 'The weapons of our warfare are not
carnal, but in God,' and again, 'His strength shall be made perfect in
our weakness.' According to the Scripture, it is not proper for any
one, who will be a Christian, to set himself up against the authority,
which God has placed over him, be it just or unjust; but a Christian
should suffer violence and wrong, especially from his sovereign; for
although Imperial Majesty does wrong and violates duty and oath, his
imperial sovereignty is not thereby abolished, nor the allegiance of
his subjects, as long as the realm and the Electoral Princes regard him
as Emperor and do not depose him. Yet though an emperor or prince break
all the commandments of God, he still remains an emperor and prince,
and is bound to God by oath in a higher, and then to man in a lower
degree. Were it right to resist Imperial Majesty when it does wrong,
then we might do so in all cases, and remain without any authority or
any obedience in the world, since every subject could use this
argument, that his sovereign broke the laws of God. How then shall we
act? Thus shall we act: Let it be granted to Imperial Majesty, that no
prince or lord shall defend us against him, but that the land and
people lie open to the Emperor as his own, and God commands this, and
no one should desire otherwise of his princes and lords. Every one
should then stand for himself and maintain his faith at the risk of his
body and his life, and not drag the princes into danger with him, or
trouble them with petitions for aid, but let the Emperor do with his
own as he will, so long as he is Emperor. But if the Emperor desire,
beyond that, though the land and people lie open to him, to compel the
princes also to attack, besiege, slay and banish their subjects for the
Gospel's sake, and the princes know that in this the Emperor is wrong,
and against God, then it falls back upon their own faith, for they
should not obey the Emperor, in what they do not approve, nor help him,
nor become partners of his sin; it is enough that the land and people
are left unprotected and the Emperor unhindered, and they should say:
If the Emperor wishes to persecute our subjects, as they are also his
own, he may act according to his conscience; we are not able to prevent
him. But we will not help him in it, nor approve of his course; for we
must obey God rather than man."[3]

In regard to t