Prefatio Crimina III close: Prayer for the adversary, Cassmann's rule for disputers, and Meldenius against self-appointed judges

As for what remains: I humbly beseech God that He would deign to pour into this adversary of mine (than whom no one ever experienced a more hostile man — irritated by not so much as a little letter, nor even by mention of his name anywhere) the Spirit of proving himself, by which he may understand and attain how great the sins with which he loads himself by the most petulant tearing of the fame both of me and of so many other excellent and pious Men devoted to the Lutheran Society — whether through most imprudent zeal, or through a hunt for his own fame, truly quite infamous, sought from men like himself — and may timely unload himself of them by serious repentance, lest Satan — not indeed a Calvinistic one (whom the Sacred page utterly ignores), but the infernal and first author of calumnies and contumelies — be able any longer to harm him and his soul, redeemed by the precious Blood of Christ, and be forever severed from the Evangelicals' Union, otherwise still most hateful to him.

Meanwhile let him note the following Rule spoken by someone to unjust Disputers: Not by reviling, but by entreating; not by fulminating, but by demonstrating; not by condemning, but by confirming; not by execrating, but by praying; not by striking, but by admonishing; not by dooming with dire imprecations, but by interceding with pious vows; not by attacking with curses, but by earning favor with good deeds; not by hateful windbags of words, but by unmoved testimonies of Holy Scripture; not by truculence, but by tolerance; not by agitation of minds, but by moderation of affections; not by force, but by gentleness; not by inhumanity, but by mildness; not by desire of revenge, but by will to gain the erring; not by clamor, but by love of the right — emerging from every Fanatics' Sophistry and fraud as from dense darkness, conquering Truth at last triumphs as victor, and will triumph forever, altogether to triumph at last. In Otto Cassmann, Schol. Tentat. I, p. 374.

And also the Admonition of Meldenius, a Lutheran Theologian, addressing all such Dictator-Theologians in these words: You have constituted yourselves not only Adversaries but Judges; you rashly condemn other Churches dissenting from You; you arrogate to Yourselves censure over any Theologians whatsoever, however well deserving of the Church, and over their pious labors; without blush you publicly arraign them as guilty of the foulest heresies; and thus most manifestly you affect a certain dominion over the Lord's inheritance, so that your πολυπραγμοσύνη (meddlesome busyness) becomes conspicuous to the whole World, and to all good men is rendered hateful and intolerable. Who designated You Judges of nearly all Controversies? who Censor of all books? who Aristarchuses even of all Theological phrases? as if you alone were wise, and all the rest wandered about like shadows? as if You, ignorant of every error, had been destined by God and the Universal Church to that office, that you should examine all others' sayings and writings most rigidly and with Lyncean acumen! Who finally permitted You more Right over others than others over You? why did you publicly provoke those by whom you had never been injured? If you had kept silence, you would not have betrayed yourselves like the hamster, and would have consulted best for your fame. And indeed you urge these Controversies with such bitterness of words, hauling wagons of insults from both sides and from every side, that no Apostolic gentleness can be found in you. Nay — what is far graver and least to be borne — you often violently twist even things spoken aptly, piously, and rightly into an alien and perverse sense, and thence boldly snatch occasion for shameless calumny, and fasten upon the innocent monsters of opinions of which they had never dreamed. If this license of cavilling should obtain, who at last will be innocent, who at last will be orthodox under these fault-findings? Christian Charity always hopes better things; your suspicion always thinks worse. Votive Exhortation for the peace of the Church, p. 34.