t let him
look to his own position, and think only how he may benefit those who
are subject to him; by this let him stand, nor let himself be torn from
it, although heaven stood open before him, nor be driven from it,
although hell were chasing him. This is the right road that leads him
to heaven."

Oh, if a man were so to regard himself and his position, and attended
to its duties alone, how rich in good works would he be in a short
time, so quietly and secretly that no one would notice it except God
alone! But now we let all this go, and one runs to the Carthusians,
another to this place, a third to that, just as if good works and God's
Commandments had been thrown into corners and hidden; although it is
written in Proverbs i, that divine wisdom crieth out her commandments
publicly in the streets, in the midst of the people and in the gates of
the cities; which means that they are present in profusion in all
places, in all stations of life and at all times, and we do not see
them, but in our blindness look for them elsewhere. This Christ
declared, Matthew xxiv: "If they shall say unto you: Lo, here is
Christ, or there, believe it not. If they shall say: Behold, He is in
the desert, go not forth; behold, He is in the secret chambers, believe
it not; they are false prophets and false Christs."

XXI. Again, obedience is the duty of subjects, that they direct all
their diligence and effort to do and to leave undone what their
over-lords desire of them, that they do not allow themselves to be torn
or driven from this, whatever another do. Let no man think that he
lives well or does good works, whether it be prayer or fasting, or by
whatever name it may be called, if he does not earnestly and diligently
exercise himself in this.

But if it should happen, as it often does, that the temporal power and
authorities, as they are called, should urge a subject to do contrary
to the Commandments of God, or hinder him from doing them, there
obedience ends, and that duty is annulled. Here a man must say as St.
Peter says to the rulers of the Jews: "We ought to obey God rather than
men." He did not say: "We must not obey men"; for that would be wrong;
but he said: "God rather than men." Thus, if a prince desired to go to
war, and his cause was manifestly unrighteous, we should not follow nor
help him at all; since God has commanded that we shall not kill our
neighbor, nor do him injustice. Likewise, if he bade us bear false
witne