“In the first place, it is to be noted that the two classes of the human race, one of whom is in the kingdom of God under Christ, and the other in the kingdom of the world under civil authority, have two kinds of laws; for every kingdom must have its laws and its rights, and no kingdom or regime can stand without law, as daily experience shows.  Temporal government has laws that do not reach farther than over person and property, and what is external on the earth; for God will not permit any one to rule over the soul of man but Himself.  Therefore, where temporal power presumes to give laws to the soul, it touches God’s rule, and misleads and destroys the souls.  We wish to make that so clear that men may comprehend it, in order that our knights, the princes and bishops, may see what fools they are when seeking to force people by their laws and commandments to believe thus or so.  When a man lays a human law or commandment upon the soul, that it must believe this or that, as the man prescribes, it is assuredly not God’s Word. . . .  Therefore it is a thoroughly foolish thing to command a man to believe the Church, the Fathers, the councils, although there is nothing on it from God’s Word.

“Now tell me, how much sense does the head have that lays down a command on a matter where it has no authority?  Who would not hold as of unsound mind the person who would command the moon to shine when it wishes?  How fitting would it be if the Leipzig authorities would lay down laws for us at Wittenberg, or we at Wittenberg for the people of Leipzig?  Moreover, let men thereby understand that every authority should and may concern itself only where it can see, know, judge, sentence, transform, and change; for what kind of judge is he to me who would blindly judge matters he neither hears nor sees?  Now tell me, how can a man see, know, judge, sentence, and change the heart?  For that is reserved to God alone.  A court should and must be certain when it sentences, and have everything in clear light.  But the soul’s thoughts and impulses can be known to no one but God.  Therefore it is futile and impossible to command or compel a man by force to believe thus or so.  For that purpose another grip is necessary.  Force does not accomplish it.  For my ungracious lords, Pope and bishops, should be bishops and preach God’s Word; but they leave that and have become temporal princes and rule with laws that concern only person and property.  They have reversed the order of things.  Instead of ruling souls (internally) through God’s Word, they rule (externally) castles, cities, lands, and people, and kill souls with indescribable murder.  The temporal lords should, in like manner, rule (externally) land and people; but they leave that.  They can do nothing more than flay and shave the people, set one tax and one rent on another; there let loose a bear and here a wolf; respect no right, or faith, or truth, and conduct affairs so that robbers and knaves