advocate our cause in narrower circles. To us, ears and access are
completely closed; we are crippled in all our members. From an appeal
in person, or from thy servants here, whom thou couldst entrust with
the Gospel, there is nothing to hope; should circumstances meanwhile
take a more favorable turn, I will send you word." And yet the
_Landgrave_ of Hesse, in a special conference with the Emperor, had
fearlessly defended himself and his friends, without however giving
among them the name of Zwingli, a confession of faith from whose hand
had just then reached Augsburg, and was viewed with the greatest
displeasure. The ingenious Switzer had woven into it some passages of a
political nature, which, though cautiously done, in his opinion, could
not but produce an unfavorable impression in the Imperial Court, as it
then stood. It contains among other things: "I well know that the
ruler, chosen or appointed in a lawful manner, occupies the place of
God, no less than the priest; but as the priest should be a minister of
heavenly wisdom and goodness, to defend the faith and bring errors to
light, so also should the ruler be a minister of divine goodness and
justice; goodness, in that he listens to and cares for his subjects
with fidelity and self-sacrifice, like God; justice, in that he holds
in check the impious and wicked and protects the innocent. If he does
this, then he preserves a quiet conscience, and has indeed nothing to
fear; if he does it not, and thus surrounds himself with fear and
terror, I cannot think that his conscience will be idle, only because
he has been chosen, or placed there, constitutionally. Yet, for my
part, I believe that a Christian should obey such a tyrant until the
opportunity is offered, of which Paul speaks: 'Canst thou make thyself
free? then delay not.' But this opportunity will be pointed out to him
by God alone, not by man, and that not doubtfully, but as clearly and
plainly, as when Saul was rejected and David chosen his successor." It
is easy to see, that, amid the universal excitement then prevailing,
language like this, so unusual in documents laid before the Imperial
Diet, as well as him who employed it, would be styled dangerous. More
than ever did Charles and his brother Ferdinand, King of Hungary,
withdraw their favor from the Reformed party and incline toward the
Catholics. But just in proportion as Zwingli was convinced, that the
number and hatred of his enemies in the German Empi