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of this sect, and going to perdition, and that in the nation from which we ourselves have sprung, according to the flesh, and which, from the time when it was first converted to Christ down to these last years, has always, been most faithful and religious. Therefore it is our most eager desire that a speedy stop be put to this plague before that happens to Germany which formerly happened to Bohemia. We are quite pre- pared to do everything that can be expected of us to bring this about, and it is our especial desire that every one of them shall do the same according to his ability, and so far as we can we exhort and ask each of them to do so. The following reasons ought to move them to it.
First of all, and above all, the honor of God is to be pre- ferred- to everything else, and it is grievously wounded by these heresies. His worship is not only lessened, but rather is totally corrupted, as is also that love to our neighbor by which everyone is bound to do his best to recall from error his neighbor who has gone astray. Unless we do this, God will require of our hands those who perish because of our neglect.
In the second place they ought to be moved by the infamy that is coming on their nation, which was always considered the most Christian of all the nations, but now has a bad reputation everywhere because of those who follow the Luth- eran sect.
In the third place they should be moved by respect for their own honor, which will suffer greatly unless those who have authority and power in the German nation labor with all their might to drive out these heresies ; not only because they will be degenerating from their own ancestors, those Chris- tian men who had a great part in the condemnation of John Hus and other heretics at the Council of Constance, and some of whom are said to have led him to the fire with their own hands ; but also because they, or the majority of them, approved the imperial edict for the execution of the apostolic sentence against Martin Luther and his followers, and gave it their authority, and unless they execute it to the best of their abil- ity they will either be adjudged inconstant or will even be thought to favor Luther, since it is evident that they could easily put an end to him if they really wished.
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