by his spirit, so much so that they cannot endure the clarity of the Gospel, nor
CHAPTER 4: The Pure in Heart Peacemakers and the PersecuteD
by his spirit, so much so that they cannot endure the clarity of the Gospel, nor endure that God has dominion over them, as over children. We must therefore maintain the quarrel of the Gospel, and be witnesses to the truth of our Lord Jesus Christ: even if we have war with a great multitude of people, even those who counterfeit the faithful, and who pretend to agree with us in the same religion: it will be necessary, I say, that we have mortal war against them: and also even more so against those who openly defy God, and who would like the Gospel to be exterminated from the world.
This is how familiar this doctrine must be to us, so that we do not find it strange if we are molested often and sometimes. For there are many who believe that they have had the best of the world in the Gospel: and if we want to attack them, when they have this excuse in their mouths, they have not been given the opportunity. And why did he come and attack me like this, seeing that I didn't ask him for anything? Didn't I have to have pushed him away? It seems to them that they are even, although since then they have been overwhelmed. But on the contrary it is said that although we are gentle, if we have a zeal for justice and equity, the world will have to rise up against us, and we will have many enemies: and even more so when we are zealous for the glory of God and the truth of the Gospel: for there will have to be open war: and even then we will be reproached for being the cause of all evil. As today the Papists allege, Blessed are the peacemakers: when they want to burden us and accuse us that we are the cause of the noises, contentions and debates that are in the world, and that they would be in peaceful possession of their tyranny, it seems to them, and that all their idolatries and inventions would be in vogue, except that by force of shouting we warn the world to turn away from such stinking. Above that they will say that we disturb the peace, and are enemies of the church. Nay: but (as I said) it is necessary that this war be conjoined with the honor of God, and even with reason and mutual equity between men: and even more, that it be conjoined with the testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the doctrine of our salvation. So this is how we will have to take the war: but it is for justice, that is to say for a good cause and necessary. For we would have to renounce God if we wanted to be peaceful with everyone. And so be it, on what condition could we agree with the Papists? What action will we take? They would be very happy to have us: but in what way? That we were apostates like them, that we m were excommunicated from the Kingdom of God: that we were in their foul and stinking burgundy, as they all are: in short, that we were children of the devil, as they are.