To the Elector John letter 8 - Martin Luther
TO THE ELECTOR JOHN
Luther advises the Elector to vote for Ferdinand as Roman Emperor. December 12, 1530.
Grace and peace, Most Serene High-born Prince, Most Gracious Lord! My dear friend Dr. Bruck has, at your Grace’s request, secretly asked my opinion as to the election of a Roman Emperor, as His Majesty wished your opinion on this matter. Although my mean worldly position should preclude my mixing in such high matters, about which I cannot advise, not being sufficiently acquainted with all the circum- stances, still I shall communicate my thoughts to your Grace. First, I think that it is most desirable that, in the choice of a king, your Grace should, in God’s name, vote, and for this reason: If you refuse to vote, then they might have a pretext for depriving you of your Electorate. On the other hand, if you do vote, then you would be confirmed in the tenure of your Electorate, and thus their cunning devices to deprive you of your lands would be frustrated, even as God defeated their wickedness at Augsburg when they fancied your Grace dared not appear, and then they would have had a pretext for condemn- ing your Electoral Highness. So again their wiles will be foiled, and you will retain your lands with all the more glory. You may rest assured that it is no sin to choose an enemy of the gospel in a worldly sense as Emperor, as you cannot prevent it, and then your Grace must obey the King. And again,
should your Highness refuse to vote, the choice might fall on Herzog George, or such another, and then the title might descend to his heirs, and cause unending jealousy and dissension. Therefore, should your Grace, through refusing to vote, burden your conscience with so many evil consequences, it would be a great grief to me, and perhaps most offensive to God. It would be better to vote, trusting in God, who is able to shape the future far better than we, and your Electoral Grace can always cleave to the gospel in spite of King Ferdinand, as happened under the Emperor, and besides God can arrange the future for the benefit of those who believe in Him. And I should not like your Grace’s confidence in
God, which shone so gloriously in Augsburg, to suffer injury through fear of the future, especially as we have no Scripture warrant or necessity for acting thus, and which might be our ruin.
The third reason is, were you not to vote, then the kingdom is torn asunder and Germany divided, through which war may ensue, for one party will not yield to the other unless coerced through war. God knows these are no light matters, but may He help us not to make them harder. The future is not at man’s disposal, as an old History tells us, and when God is not at the helm, things turn out very differently from what one expects. If the Pope and Emperor did not get their own way at Augsburg,
henceforth they will certainly fail, as they trust their own wisdom. Only let us cleave to God, and not to an uncertain future, as they did. The Landgrave of Hesse has caused himself to be inscribed as a
citizen of Zurich, which is no cause of rejoicing to me, and if God do not prevent, a great war may ensue, in which the error of the sacrament may be defended and we be blamed, a calamity which may
Christ avert. For the Swiss have not yet retracted, but maintain their error. Ah, Lord God, I am far too much of a child for these worldly affairs! I shall pray God to protect and guide you graciously, as He has hitherto done; or should anything untoward happen, that He may provide a way of escape. Amen.
Your Electoral Grace will take my unintelligible prating in good part. I speak as I understand, but desire that your Grace’s conscience may be clear, for it would be my greatest trial should it run into danger. I herewith commit you to the grace of God.
Your Electoral Highness’s devoted MARTIN LUTHER . (De Wette.)
In consequence of Ferdinand’s election as King of Rome, and the news that Charles V. was collecting troops in Brabant, the Schmalkald league was formed by Hesse and Saxony, with the support of King Frederick of Denmark, for the protection of Protestantism.