#1717-Philipp of Hesse to ML

Dear Doctor Martinus! My desire is as before that I want you to do an admonition to all the faithful on this Diet (of Augsburg, just ended) and if you do not have a sufficient report, write to me, and I will send you all the supplemental matters.It is necessary to comfort and admonish the weak believing.
I cannot permit you, of whom I have an especially good opinion, to be uninformed that there are several who suppose that the Emperor, since we are his Dependent (seems like "Anhang" is technical term for "subjects" of the Empire) has the authority to punish us in the matter of the Gospel and since the Emperor wants to re-establish the doctrine of the devil that we should permit it since we do not have the power to resist it.
Now i recall that you counseled the Elector at the time the Alliance matter with the Bishops was at hand that one should not recognize it but if one were to be overcome that one had the right to defend oneself and you knew of nothing else.You wrote further: The Elector may well defend himself if the Emperor is about to overcome him since His Love (the Elector) is a chief member with other allies. It is now my desire that you would give me your opinion in this matter. However, i cannot fail to cite several reasonings on this matter so that you, who have many activities,might be given for your consideration much to ponder.
The first is that neither in the New Testament nor in Apostolic times, to my knowledge, is there a case in which an authority who was in charge of a land by inheritance and who having adopted a faith was afterward persecuted by a higher authroity.
Secondly, it is with the German princes much different than with the Statthalters of previous times who were bad and not hereditary lords. The Italian princes did not have such freedom nor was it customary to the extent that it was a tradition amongst us Germans.
And as that is true never did any Emperor have the power to capture any subject of the Prince and to take him away otherwise the subject of such a prince would be vulnerable as if he had done it against the Imperial Majesty's own person, body and people. Though this could be proven with many examples it also my opinion that if our preachers are legally vunlnerable we also are legally right in protecting and managed our preachers.
It is also further obvious that no Emperor has the power in German lands to order any prince with force to provide one Gulden and though demanded already it would in no way be provided. If, however, with the consent of the common estates promised something to the Emperor,they would be responsible to give it.
Thirdly, it is true that the Emperor has promised and sworn to us as we have to him,and not only to him but also to the Empire at the sane time, So now if the Emperor does not support that he becomes a common person and not to be looked upon as legal emperor but a breaker of the peace since he is not emperor by inheritance but be election.
Fourthly, the Emperor has said to every Diet and written that he does not recognize himself to be a judge in these disputed matters but that it is proper for a Council to determine and evaluate such matters. Meanwhile, he, the Emperor, who himself acknowledged the same and once renounced such a judge-office ( as though he already had the prerogative, though he did not have it but only was judge over property and body and that only to a degree) now how can he permit it that he a partisan should continue on as complaintant, judge and respondent and wants, on the other hand, neither to see, hear or accept our answer which goes beyoned all heathen laws?
I do not want at this time to indicate how the election of this emperor and the future king (Ferdinand) has been carried out and will go on.
Fifthly, although it is said: the Emperor well would not have had power if the estates had not unanimously conferred such upon him and we to that extent have not power to resist; here I say to that: First, it is not true that all the estates have conferred that upon the Emperor. I know that a portion of them have done it, as one says, out of fear of the Jews (allusion to Joseph of Arimathea-disciple of Jesus secretly out of fear. John 19:38) namely Markgraf Philip and Ernst of Baden, Duke Erich of Braunschweig, Bishop of Augsburg, Duke Ludwig of Bavaria, Graf in Valdenz;these are Evangelicals beneath. (secretly?}Now there are yet many who have not consented to this corruption of the truth namely, Mainz,Pfalz,Trier, Sachsen,Markgraf Joerg of Brandenburg, Heinrich, Duke of Mecklenberg, Duke of Holstein,Philipp,Ernst,Otto,Franciscus,Dukes in Braunschweig and Lueneburg, Landgraf of Hesse, Anhalt,Duke in Prussia, Julich; and the cities: Strassburg,Luebeck, Frankfurt, Memmingen, Schwaebish-Hall, Nuernberg,Hamburg, Lindau,Kempten, Reutlingen,Ulm, Magdeburg,Constanz, Heilbronn and more others.
From the above mentioned princes and cities (I did not mention several more Grafs) it is clear that the foremost Electors and Estates have not consented to such and therefore the expedient cannot stand that the Emperor has concluded this with the Estates in unanimity etc. Though there be more of the Estates it is by a slim margin and it comes because of finances and for their own benefit in this matter. And thereunto the Bishops who are blood-thirsty should be despised because on account of their greed they have the supreme enmity against the Gospel.Also the angry princes should be despised who on account of the hate they have for several persons who have pointed out their vice so they repay the Gospel which they find to be so clear that in truth they do not know what to say but nevertheless persecute and hate in the extremest way. Thus such vehement and self-serving people have assisted but their voices have not been heard, as, in truth, is fitting and the Emperor stands alone.
This is what I have wanted to convey to you in my simplicity for your meditation and according to the reason with which you have been gifted so highly by God and I plead for your counsel and consideration. Dated the Friday after Gallus (21 Oct,) Anno Dom.

30. In the Old Testament God did not forsake His own and will not permit a land to go under which trusts in Him.
Likewise He has helped the Bohemians and we must all acknowledge that the Bohemians were under the Emperor and a King of Bohemia one of the foremost Electors. Yet they have resisted the Emperor and King and God has granted them victory and deliverance.So also I hope from God if we remain undismayed and trust in Him.
God has also well granted further help against the Emperor and others who with force and without right have mistreated their subjects. Example: One sees a small group of Swiss who have struck several Lords of Austria and the Emperor although the matter of this example has not been heard of. Dated as above. Philpp L.z.Hesse.
nOTES: Sounds like Philip knows the coalitions of the willing and the unwilling. Joachim of Brandenburg no doubt is the Prince of vice for taking Hornung's wife.



would be vulnerable