Answer . Whereunto wee say , that there is euident direction and apparent information hereunto , ready at hand to bee found in Gods Word ; and that out of the same Direction , there is such a Declaration giuen , by the great Prophet of all Germany Doctour Luther , as that wee cannot in our consciences either reiect it , or yet know how to better it ; but find it ( in regard of common equity and reason ) to be altogether agreeable and consonant vnto Gods reuealed holy Word .

And although wee with other Lutherane Diuines could well haue wished , and euen from the bottome of our hearts , that it had not now at all beene needfull to haue had this Question moued ; and especially that wee had beene spared , and not beene troubled therewith , according as we entred into the same very vnwillingly , and would much rather that the matter had beene elsewhere propounded , and the burden thereof layd vpon others , then vpon vs : yet seeing it is as an high and weighty , yea , a leading Case of Conscience , layd vpon our Consciences to answere , as being the Informers of mens Consciences ; wee would not vse any dilatory excuse , ( as also it is not meete wee should ) albeit wee cannot otherwise expedite the preposed case , ( De causa nobis aut Theologis proposita , iuxta principia Theologica , of a cause propounded vnto vs or vnto Diuines , according to the Principles of Diuinitie , ) then that in such an exigent , a Protestant State of the Empire , ought iustly , well to consider and bethinke it selfe , whether it bee to giue ayde and assistance to the Emperors Maiesty or no.

And first of all , for the better informing of mens consciences , we neither can , nor ought now , or at any time will forbeare to remember , how that all high and low Estates ( whether they bee of Spirituall or Temporall calling ) ought with the greatest and most diligence possible , to endeuour , that the Romane Emperours Honour , Reputation , Authoritie , and Maiestie , ( although he be not of our Religion ) and especially in this present dangerous time of Commotion , and flocking together of Souldiers , may be wholly without all impeachment , supported , preserued and mayntayned in safetie . And that besides the daily powring out of feruent Prayers for him , there may also bee giuen vnto him all due Reuerence , Obedience , Submission and Tribute , in regard that it is Gods Ordinance ; and for that the Sonne of God was borne into the World vnder the Roman Emperour , as vnder a Monarchie , which Daniel in his Vision conceiued , that it should abide vntill the Day of the great Glory of Iesus Christ , when hee shall come againe to iudge the Quick and the Dead and for that , the high Iustice of God , hath at all times seuerely punished the Despisers of Magistrates , as Gods , ( as holy Writ cals them ) and as them , by whom he in Gods stead ruleth and gouerneth the World ; and therefore hath forbidden that any should presume to curse the King , no not in the heart and thought , and the rich not in his Bed-chamber . For the Bird of the Ayre shall carrie vp the sound of the voyce , Ettles . 10.20 . and that which hath wings shall tell the matter , as it is written in the tenth of the Preacher .

And that therefore wee ought euer to giue all honour vnto , and faithfully pray not onely for the good and gentle , but also for the froward and wicked Kings and Princes set ouer vs of God ; that so we may seade a quiet and peaceable life vnder them in all godlinesse and honesty .

Now secondly , for so much as concerneth the fundamentall maine point of this our fore-mentioned Answere , vnto the propounded Question in case of Conscience ; albeit the same might be very largely handled , and much bee alleaged for it ; yet we will now at this time let it rest , and content our selues onely with that which is contayned in the Commandement of the loue of God , and the loue of our Neighbour ; as vpon which two ( according to Christs owne Doctrine ) dependeth the whole Law and the Prophets : And therein consider , whether the aboue-said ayde and assistance will not fall out , to bee as well against the loue of God , as against the loue of our Neighbour ?

And touching the loue of God , like as the Romane Emperours high name and preheminence , It is against the Ioue of God to ayde them that persecute the Gospell . shall of all men in the holy Empire bee honoured without impeachment , vpon the auoyding of the heauiest and seuerest , both Diuine and Humane punishments : So is it neuer a whit the lesse , but much more befitting , that also the Honour of the Almighty high God , and of his beloued Sonne Iesus Christ , the Truth of his holy sacred Word , the pure Religion , and the enlarging of the Christian Church , should bee taken into consideration and care , to the vttermost that all humane reason by aduice and action is possibly able to prouide for : As being the very meanes , whereby the euer-lasting saluation of many and innumerable soules , is to bee wrought and effected ; the Kingdome of Heauen to be planted ; and a perpetuall Church to be builded and encreased ; by whom with all holy Angels hee shall bee for euermore praysed and blessed , the King of all Kings , the Lord of all Lords , euen God the holy and indiuisible Trinity blessed for euer .

And when here it concerneth the Honour of God , and the honour of men , as whether is to bee preferred before the other ; then that belongeth hereunto , which once Saint Peter , and the other Apostles said in the like case , Act. 5. God must bee more obeyed then men . Wherunto also well agreeth Doctor Luthers Meditations , Tom. 6. at Iena in Dutch. fol. 282. in his Admonition to his beloued Countreymen of Germany , where he thus saith .

The first reason , that thou in such a case shalt not obey the Emperour , and goe on warfare with him , is , that thou ( euen so well as the Emperour ) hast sworne in thy Baptisme , to hold and maintayne the Gospell , and not to persecute it , nor to fight against it . Now thou canst not but know , that the Emperour is herein stirred vp and set on by the Pope , and is by him deceiued and seduced to fight against the Gospell of Christ , seeing that our Doctrine was openly found at Ausburg , to be the true Gospell of Christ , and agreeable to the holy Scripture . And therefore thou shalt thus answer and say , vpon any Summons which the Emperour , or thy Prince shall make ; Yea honoured Emperour , honoured Prince , If thou hold & keepe thy Oath , and Vow made in Baptisme ; then shalt thou be my honoured Lord , and I will be obedient vnto thee , to go to warre whensoeuer thou wilt . But if thou wilt not hold and keepe thy Vow in Baptisme and Christian Couenant made with Christ , but persecute the same ; then let a Knaue if he will , obey thee in my stead . I will not for thy sake blaspheme my God , and persecute his Word , and so desperately runne and cast my selfe head-long with thee into the deepest bottome of Hell .

Now this first reason comprehends in it , many other very great and fearefull reasons . For he that striueth and fighteth against the Gospell , he must likewise needes fight against God , against Iesus Christ , against the Holy Ghost , against the precious Bloud of Christ , against his Death , against Gods Word , against all the Articles of the Christian Faith , against the Sacraments ; against all the Doctrine which is giuen , established , confirmed , kept and nourished by the Gospell , as that of the Magistrate , and of a temporall Peace and State ; & briefly , against all the Angels and Saints , against Heauen , and against Earth , and all Creatures . For who so striueth and fighteth against God , he must also needes fight against all that is Gods , or that holds with God : and what end that will haue at the last , thou shalt ( though too late ) finde by thy owne ouer-deare bought experience . And that which is yet worst of all , such striuing and warring is done of knowledge wittingly : for men know and acknowledge , that this our Doctrine , is the Gospell indeed ; whereas the Turkes and Tartars know not that it is Gods Word . And therefore there cannot any bee so bad , as thou art ; nor shall any be so grieuously punished , as thou shalt be . For thou shalt bee ten thousand times more deeply damned , then all Turkes , Tartars , Heathen and Iewes . Hactenus verba Lutheri : Hitherunto are the words of Luther .

Yea and for so much as the children of Darkenesse , who are learned Catholikes , will not ceasse nor be weary to restore again , to spread abroad , to propagate , & to defend their Religion , with goods and bloud , with bodie and life , thereby to honour God ( as they think ; ) which Religion of theirs notwithstanding , is not any thing else then the verie damned Babilon alreadie begun to fall ; the very Antichristianisme , and as Iames Herbran ( a well experienced learned Diuine ) writeth in the Preface to his Theologicall Disputations ; Sentina & cloaca Satanae , in qua omnes suas sordes , abominationes , impietates , & idolatrias , quot quot excogitari possunt , ingessit ; The very sinke and iakes of Satan , whereinto he hath cast all his filth , abhominations , impieties , and idolatries , that can possibly be deuised .

How much more then will it become vs , as the Children of the Light , not any way to hinder , but by all meanes to propagate the said holy Truth , which out of Gods vnspeakable mercy and goodnesse , he would haue first commended euen from Heauen aboue an hundred yeares since , not vnto any others , then euen vnto vs Germanes , and especially vnto vs Saxons by Doctor Luther , and from his hand vnto our faithfull hands .

As for the second point , it standeth herein , Such ayde is against the loue of our Neighbour . that such ayde and assistance will extend it selfe against the loue of our Neighbour , if that the Lutherane States of the holy Empire , in the Case propounded , shall and will runne and ioyne with the Souldiers of the Pope of Rome , and of the King of Spaine , as the extremest and mortallest enemies of the Gospell ; against such Protestant Christians , as are mentioned in the propounded Question , to the destroying and rooting out of it , and them . Yet so that the word Neighbour , bee not taken most generally , but in particular for them , who most earnestly take part with vs , and hold the vnity of the Spirit , by the bond of Peace , in the onely true Faith , as the same commeth neerest vnto the Propheticall and Apostolike Writings , contayned in the vnaltered Augsburg Confession , and in the Booke of Christian Concord ; that haue with vs one God , and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ , and one Lord Christ Iesus ; one Baptisme , one whole vnmangled Lords Supper , in the true Body , and the true Bloud of Iesus Christ ; who in that respect are one Body with vs , and wee altogether the Members of one Body : of which the Apostles rich and spirituall Exhortation is well knowne ; and according to the same , euery vnderstanding man vseth to take heed vnto himselfe , that wittingly hee doe not with his owne hands , any hurt vnto his owne Members . How much more then , should all good and religious true Christians well foresee and duly consider Christ his mysticall Body , ( which is the right faith full true Church ; ) that they persecute and hurt it not at all , no not in any few and small Members thereof ? According as also the very style both of the holy Lords Praver , Our Father ; & of the holy Creed of the Apostles in the words , The Communion of Saints , doth euen daily put vs in minde of , and that wee Christians should both striue and pray one with another . And who can tell for whethers Prayers sake , our Lord hath many times hitherunto bin moued , to stay and keepe backe many fierce incursions , and cruell inuasions of the Turke , and other furious inuading people ? Whereunto also in some sort the words of the Apostle agree , 1. Cor. 12.21 . &c. to 27. and as it further followeth , saying : The eye cannot say vnto the hand , I haue no need of thee : nor againe the head to the feet , I haue no need of you : Nay much more , these members of the body which seeme to be more feeble , are necessary . And those members of the body which we thinke to bee lesse honourable , vpon those wee bestow more aboundant honour , and our vncomely parts haue more aboundant comelinesse . For our comely parts haue no need : But God hath tempered the body together , hauing giuen more abundant honour to that part which lacked : That there should be no schisme or diuision in the body : but that the members should haue the same care one for another . And whether one member suffer , all the members suffer , or one member be honoured , all the members reioyce with it . And that Christians in such an accident for loue sake towards their fellow Christians , should also not be discouraged for any inconuenience , yea or any perill whatsoeuer ( that may thence arise vnto themselues ) to stand as one man for their brethren , against their enemies ; Christ would expresly haue vs to learne it , by that saying of his beloued Disciple , 1. Iohn 3.16 . Hereby perceiue we the loue of God , because hee layd downe his life for vs ; and we ought to lay downe our lines for the brethren . 〈◊〉 . Iohn 3.17 . But who hath this Worlds goods , and seeth his brother hath need , and shutteth vp his bowels of compassion from him , how dwelleth the loue of God in him ? Whence doubtlesse came the meaning of the old Prouerbe : Si non pauisti , occidisti : si non defendisti , obruisti : If thou hast not fed , thou hast killed : if thou hast not defended , thou hast ouerthrowne and destroyed . The great and high God could indeed of himselfe without others helpe , speake and send downe hither the Word from Heauen , for the deliuerance and safetie of the afflicted and distressed Christians , against their Enemies furie : But hee will hereby try and proue the rest of other Christians , whether they will more obey his Commandement , or the commands of men . And Christ will amongst other things , say thus also at the Day of Iudgement , vnto his true Seruants that did partake with his childrens afflictions : I was persecuted , and by force of Armes fought against for the Faiths sake , and yee had then a fellow-feeling , and suffered with me .

We will not at this time say any thing , whether there must not needs by such ayding and assisting , offence arise amongst others , both friends and enemies , when they shall see those of the same profession of Faith , one to striue and make warre against the other , & that euen for matters of Faith ; whence it may also easily come to passe , that some weake Christians shall hereby bee moued and occasioned , though of weaknesse , to forsake the olde Lutheran Faith , and so making relapse , fall againe vnto Popery .

And it is not concealed but manifest , how that in regard of giuing of offence in the World , the Sonne of God hath cryed out his heauy Woe ; and , which is the more offensiue and worse , if that hereby the enemies shall be so much the more by vs strengthened and hardened in their errours .

Now as concerning what was the iudgement in this point , of that our great Prophet , D. Martin Luther : It is recorded that Master Luther in the yeare 1529. vpon the Question moued vnto him , whether a man might defend himselfe against the Emperours Maiestie , in case hee should by force indenour to ouer-runne any man for the Gospell sake , answered generally ; That no man that will be a true Christian , shall rise vp , or oppose himselfe against the Magistrate , whether hee doth iustly or vniustly ; seeing that Sinnes depriue not the Magistrate of his Office and Calling ; and seeing also , that the Subiects of all Lords and Princes within the Empire , are also the Emperours Subiects , yea , and more then they be their Princes . Wherefore men ought to let their people and Countryes stand open to the Emperour , and be faithfull vnto him , euen to the hazarding of body and life ; and not to hold or take part with the greedy Cormorants , who vnder pretence of defending the Gospell , will for their owne aduantage , set and band themselues against the Magistrate .

This his saying is to bee found in his 6. Tom. in Dutch , printed at Iena , sub Anno 1533. but doth indeed belong vnto the yeare 1530. But yet after this , in his 5. Tom. in that his excellent Book , whose Title is ; A warning to his beloued Countreymen of Germany , he sets downe three strong reasons , and also proceedes so in amplyfying of them , that it may well make a mans haire that reades it , stare and stand vpright at the horrible lothsomnesse or vglinesse of Popery ; and therewithall concludes : That if the Emperour suffer himselfe to bee induced , to make warres for the Popes behoofe and benefit ; then should not any man obey him . And seeing that Treatise is very excellent , forcible and necessary ; but is withall ouerlong to bee here transcribed and inserted : We doe therefore earnestly intreate and desire all well-minded and honest hearts , that ( in regard of the dangerous times whereinto we are fallen ) they would wholly reade it through out , and often ouer . And amongst other things hee there sheweth , that by such a proceeding , men shall draw downe vpon themselues , all the abominations that are done and committed in and vnder the Papacie ; and shall as much as in them lyeth , ouer-throw and destroy all the excellent good , that is now restored and againe erected by the holy Gospell .

The like is also to bee read in his 7. Tom. Title of Resistance , for the space of ten leaues together ; where hee distinguisheth betweene the Emperour , as Emperour ; and betweene the Emperour , as being set on and stirred vp by the Pope to make warre . And euen so concludes in respect of ayde and assistance to bee giuen or not , as wee haue aboue concluded .

Now if men shall lay all this which hath beene here prooued and alleaged , ( although it be but very short ) on the golden ballance of their Conscience , then will the matter it selfe teach them , that they are to follow the Apostles Rule , as it is to be read in the 2. Cor. 6.14 . Bee yee not vnequally yoked together . Wherefore according to the same we conclude : That as the Case now standeth , a Lutherane Prince is iustly occasioned well to consider , that in case his Imperial Maiesty be incited and stirred vp by the haters of Peace and Quietnesse , to make warre against Gods pure Religion , then he is not bound to ayde and assist him therein . But hee is much rather bound to mediate for those that be oppressed , by interceding , and by admonishing , and by beseeching ; yea and in a word , to vse all the possible good meanes , that humane Reason can deuise and thinke vpon , for the procuring of their assured ease , liberty , peace and quietnesse .

And this is that which wee thought our selues bound in dutie , humbly to answere vnto our gracious Lord Duke Iohn Ernestus , as vnto a right worthy Lord , and true Lutherane Prince , vpon his gracious desire and command . And we do beseech the most high God , that he will bee pleased for Christ Iesus his sake , so to enlighten his Imperiall Maiestie by his holy Spirit , that hee may with all his heart and soule ( for the saluation of his owne soule ) truly more loue God then himselfe ; And that hee may hold and esteeme them for godly and honest Christians , who doe , and will also more loue God then the Emperour . And likewise that hee would after the examples of Cyrus , Darius , Artaxerxes , carefully enquire and seeke out , whether that wee Lutheranes haue the right or the wrong on our sides . And if he shall find that we haue the right , that then hee will so much the more ( and the rather for the aduancement of Gods Honour , and the Saluation of his owne soule ) publish such godly Mandates and Edicts , for the further propagating of Gods holy Truth , as did the foresaid three Kings ; with-draw all Warre , and cause sincere Peace to bee spread and established ; whereby also he may at the last Day appeare before God , as one , that had so much furthered and procured Righteousnesse as the Sunne doth lighten the Firmament . Which our good God grant , and vouchsafe graciously to worke and effect in him ; to the onely Praise , Honor and Glory of his Diuine Name , Amen .