WHEN first I set my hand to this work, nothing was farther from my thoughts, most illustrious King, than to write a book which should afterwards be presented to your Majesty. I merely intended to issue an elementary treatise for the godly edification of those who have some care for religion; and my labours were designed more especially for the benefit of my fellow-countrymen, the French. But when I saw that the rage of certain wicked men had banished sound doctrine from your realm, I thought it worth while to use my work as a confession of our faith before you, that you might know what the doctrine is against which they rage so fiercely with fire and sword. For I frankly own that my book contains the sum and substance of the doctrine which, according to their outcry, ought to be punished with imprisonment, exile, proscription, and flames; to be exterminated on land and sea. It will be thy part, O King, not to close thine ear or thine heart against so just a cause, especially in view of the importance of the matter which is at stake, namely, the integrity of God’s glory upon earth, the maintenance of the dignity of His truth, and the safety of the Kingdom of Christ among us. Worthy of thine ears is such a question, worthy of thy cognizance, worthy of thy tribunal. We, indeed, are miserable sinners before God, and despised of men; but our doctrine will stand, exalted above all the glory of the world and unconquered by all its power; for it is not ours, but that of the living God and of His Christ.
Our adversaries say that our doctrine is new and uncertain, unconfirmed by miracles, contrary to the unanimous voice of the fathers, contrary to ancient custom; they urge us to admit that either our doctrine is opposed to the Church, or else there has been no Church during the many centuries when such teaching was unheard of: finally, they say that there is no need of arguments against a doctrine which may be judged by its fruits—sects, disturbances, and unbridled licentiousness. I answer:—
(1) In calling our doctrine new they insult God, whose sacred Word ought not to be accused of novelty. It is new to them, I doubt not; but those who know that Paul’s words are old, “Jesus Christ died for our sins, and rose again for our justification,” will find nothing new about us.
(2) However they may deride its uncertainty, if they had to lay down their lives for their religion, we should see what they think that their own doctrine is worth; as for us, such is our certainty of the truth which we profess, that we dread neither the terrors of death nor the judgment-seat of God.
(3) Their demand of miracles is dishonest; for we are not fashioning a fresh gospel but holding fast to that which was confirmed by all the miracles of Christ and His apostles. The modern miracles with which our opponents support their cause are either frivolous or false.
(4) It is a slander to oppose to us the ancient fathers, as if they were abettors of the wickedness of our adversaries. Those holy men wrote much that was excellent and wise, but there were many things which they did not know: they are often at variance with each other, and sometimes even with themselves. We are told by our adversaries that Solomon said:—”Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.” Why, then, do they remove the ancient landmarks whosoever they please? One of the Fathers said:—”Sacred rites have no need of gold; and things which cannot be bought for gold acquire no charm by means of gold.” Therefore they remove the landmark when in their worship they take such delight in gold, silver, marble, jewels and silks. It was a Father who said—”I eat flesh when others fast, because I am a Christian.” Thus they remove the landmark when they curse the soul that shall taste flesh during Lent. A Father said—”It is a dreadful abomination to see an image of Christ, or of any saint, depicted in a Christian place of worship”; another—”The substance of bread and wine remains in the Lord’s Supper, just as the substance and nature of man remains, joined to the divine, in Christ”; another—”The Lord’s Supper must be refused to those who would partake only of one kind” (that is, of the bread, and not of the wine); another—”The ministers of the Church must not be forbidden to marry”; another—”The Church must not place its own authority before that of Christ; because He always judges truly while ecclesiastical judges are often deceived.” Do they restrain themselves within these bounds? And yet they dare to reprove us for removing the ancient landmarks!
(5) Again, their appeal to custom is of no avail. If, indeed, human judgments were always right, good men would be bound to conform to former customs; but, on the contrary, it often happens that what is done by the majority soon obtains the authority of custom, although it is seldom the case that the majority choose the better path. But in the Kingdom of God nothing is to be obeyed or regarded but His own eternal truth, which cannot be overruled by any lapse of years, or by any customs or combinations of men. A bad custom is nothing but a public pestilence, in which men perish none the less for perishing in a crowd.
(6) The dilemma to which they would reduce us, that either we are heretics, or else the Church has been dead for generations, does not trouble us much. The Church of Christ has lived, and will live, as long as Christ is at the Father’s right hand to sustain it by His power : with that Church we have no contention. Our controversy hinges on these two points : First, that they maintain that the form of the Church is always apparent and outwardly glorious ; secondly, that they make that form to consist in the Roman Church and its hierarchical system. On the contrary, we assert that the Church consists in no outward form, nor yet in that material splendour which they foolishly admire ; but is marked by the pure preaching of the Word of God and the legitimate administration of His ordinances.
(7) Finally, there is no fairness in their invidious enumeration of the disturbances, tumults, and contentions, which they allege to have been caused by the preaching of our doctrine ; the blame for these things should fall upon the malice of Satan. This is a peculiar characteristic, if I may so speak, of the divine Word, that, when it comes forth, Satan never remains quietly sleeping. This is a mark especially sure and certain whereby it is distinguished from false doctrines, which are well received on every hand amid general applause. Thus during several centuries, while the whole world was plunged in deep darkness, Satan made sport of mankind and delighted in the quiet possession of his power. But when light shining from above began to dispel this darkness (at the dawn of the Reformation), he shook off his slumber and seized his arms for battle. And in the first place he stirred up the violence of men to quench the rising light of truth ; but when this plan failed, he turned to the employment of treacherous snares, stirring up strifes and disputes about doctrines by means of his Anabaptists and other vile emissaries in order to obscure and extinguish the truth of the gospel. But what malignity it is, to cast upon the Word of God the odium of these disturbances and excesses ! However, it is nothing new. Elijah was asked, ” Art thou he that troubleth Israel ? ” Christ was looked upon by the Jews as a mover of sedition. The apostles were accused of stirring up the people ; but they remembered the saying, ” Christ is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence,” and went boldly forward through all opposition.
I return to thee, O King. Be not thou moved by the insinuations of our adversaries, that this ” new gospel,” as they call it, aims merely at stirring up sedition, and giving licence to vice. Our God is not the author of division, but of peace : and the Son of God is not the minister of sin ; for He came to destroy the works of the devil. And we, by the grace of God, have made such progress in the gospel that our life may serve our slanderers as an example of chastity, benevolence, mercifulness, self-restraint, patience, moderation and every virtue.
I fear I have written to your Majesty too long a letter ; for its object is not to set forth a complete defence of our cause, but merely to dispose your mind to a candid and unprejudiced examination thereof. If, however, your ears are closed against our plea by the whispers of slander, so that our persecutors shall still be free to rage against us under your sanction with bonds, scourgings, racks, tortures, and flames, we indeed shall be reduced to the lowest extremity as sheep destined to slaughter ; but we shall nevertheless possess our souls in patience, and look to be delivered in due season by the mighty hand of God. May the Lord, the King of kings, establish thy throne in righteousness and thy reign in equity, most illustrious King.