Report on Whether Secular Authority Should Suppress the Writings of Enthusiasts

...so that God may be rightly known, and that people may attain eternal life. For this purpose, God gives the secular authority secular authority: 'Obrigkeit', the divinely appointed civil government goods, weapons, and power, and commands the subjects to be obedient.

AND although not every authority takes up and uses their office office: 'Ampt', a divinely appointed duty or station in this blessed manner—for one sees how it goes with worldly lords—they indeed think: "We are the ones who maintain the common peace, and who protect and shield our subjects." Under such a pretense, they increase the lamentable taxes original: 'kleglichen schoss'; 'Schoss' was a common term for a property or wealth tax and other unjust burdens original: 'vnpflicht', referring to taxes or services imposed without legal obligation to the highest degree, etc. But in doing so, they do not take it to heart in the slightest how the poor people in the countryside, cities, and villages are provided for with teaching and the Sacraments. Instead, they allow the errors of factions and sects to go forth in both cities and villages, quite freely and without hindrance; whereby (God have mercy) many a soul is led astray.

SO it also goes with some of the nobility, that they not only plague and torture the poor peasants with daily feudal labor feudal labor: 'hoffdienst', mandatory unpaid labor performed by a tenant for their lord, but some also "pluck" the parish estates parish estates: 'pfargüter', the lands and income intended to support a local pastor to such an extent that they and their subjects cannot obtain any preacher at all. And thus, out of greed, they live on without the Word and Sacrament, and think to themselves that wheat and barley will grow for them just the same regardless, etc.

NOW although, I say, not every authority respects this command of God, themselves, or their subjects, yet God has continuously provided some high and low-ranking rulers who [promote]... The text cuts off here; the catchword 'rung' suggests the next page begins with 'förderung', meaning promotion or advancement of the faith.