Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1521-1530.djvu/441

 are deceiving his Imperial Majesty and disturbing the whole empire. 'Necessity and right will decide this. Meanwhile much water will run by the mill, and the one night allowed for appeal will become a year, if God will. But we hope and will pray, because God has given us His Word, that it will not come to this.

But to attack these princes and to anticipate them in the war, is not at all to be advised, but rather most of all to be avoided. For the Word of God says,* "He that takes the sword shall perish by the sword." In this case we have no command to use the sword, for the guilt and the deeds of our opponents are not yet proved and have not yet come to light, and, besides, the hostile princes are not subject to our Lord's authority. That would be to punish, nay, wickedly to attack men who had committed no overt act and had not been convicted. They would gain from it not only the advantage of appearing to be wronged, but they would actually get the right to defend themselves as of necessity against those who, without imperial command, were lawlessly attacking the innocent For God can still prevent them from carrying out their secret plans. But if they were to make the attack, then it could no longer be prevented, and the matter would proceed aright. For it is our confidence and consolation that the enemy will be the rebels and attack my lord without regard to process of law and to his rights and without first giving him a hearing; but they would have this same thing to rely on if they were at- tacked and forced to self-defence without previous process of law, as innocent men who had as yet done nothing. God keep us from this abominable deedl That would indeed be fishing for the hook and using might for right. No greater shame could be put upon the Gospel, for out of it would come ^ot a Peasants* War,' but a Princes' War, which would utterly destroy Germany ; and this Satan would be glad to see.

But if my gracious lord the Landgrave is not willing to fol- low this advice, but wishes to proceed, then my gracious lord IS not bound to keep the agreement, for we must obey God rather than men. All agreements must be subject to God's will and to the law and must neither do nor undertake any-

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