Elector to vote for Ferdinand as Serene High-bornPrince,Most Grace's request,secretly asked my opinionas to the election of a Majestywished your opinion on this matter.
Although my mean worldly positionshould precludemy mixing in such highmatters, about which I cannot advise,not beingsufficiently acquainted with all the circumstances,stillI shall communicate my thoughts to your
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 theymight have a pretext for deprivingyou of your 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 depriveyou 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 condemningyour Electoral Highness. So againtheir 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 gospelin a worldlysense 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 unendingjealousy 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 perhapsmost offensive to It would be better to vote, trustingin God, who is able to shapethe future far better than we, and your
Grace can always cleave to the gospel in spiteof King Ferdinand,as happened under the God can arrange the future for the benefit of those who believe in Him.
I should not like your Grace's confidence in God, which shone so gloriously in Augsburg, to suffer injury throughfear of the future,especially as we have no Scripture warrant or necessity for actingthus, 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 yieldto the other unless coerced through war.
God knows these are no lightmatters, but may He helpus 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, thingsturn out very differently from what one expects.
Emperor did not get their own way at Augsburg,henceforth they will certainlyfail, as they trust their own wisdom.
Only let us cleave to God, and not to an uncertain future,as they did.
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 calamitywhich may
For the Swiss have not yet retracted, but maintain their error.
I am far too much of a child for these worldlyaffairs !
God to protect and guide you graciously, as ; or should anythinguntoward happen,that He may providea way of escape.
Grace will take my unintelligible pratingin good part.
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 Electoral Highness's devoted