I pleadthat for Christ's sake you would not disdain performing the Christian office of helping the poor little heathen out of her sinful state by nature into the most blessed new birth, thus becoming her spiritualfather through the sacred waters of baptism.
And the weather beingso cold, I should like to spare you the risk,if you could send some one instead from Franciscus are not at home.
Grace knows how to perform your good pleasure. God will requitethe service.
I should like the baptismto take placeto-morrow.
Your graciousHighnessesobedient A house was offered to I write to you about the selling of your house, my For you know that in such transactions
I am a very novice, and you have many around you who can advise you much better than I, not to speak of yourself, who know so much of such matters.
I shall not as yet reply to your offer,althoughI do not wish to boast of my poverty, but cannot refrain from sayingthat it would be impossiblefor me to bringtogethereven the half of that sum.
I make a great appearance with the treasures entrusted to me, but I should not like you or any one else to be in my place[Haui).
Therefore you will not find a purchaser in me, even if you offered it a hundred times.
I would suggest Bruno to you, and if my opinionhas any weight,I would like you to sell it to him for four hundred and fortygulden,which I hear is the valuation.
Why should you wish to drive such a hard bargain with your good brother,seeingthe Lord has blessed you with this bit of property, a fact you should remember in all your dealings?The Lord can requiteyou if you believe
Creator accordingto the flesh.
Why worry needlesslyabout your children's future ?
Christ,who has ever cared for us, will provideabundantly for those who trust I have many cares for those belonging to me, as I have much less than you, but I am aware that my cares are fruitless. Therefore
Him who has hitherto supplied my wants so abundantly,and will continue so to do if I be worthy of it,or take those away for whom
I worry so needlessly, if He do not see fit to providefor them.
Lord teach you that all our anxietywill neither increase nor lessen the necessities of life!
Torgau peoplewished to have their excellent preachers dismissed, under the pretext that they were not heard in church.
We learn from your letterto Jonas, my excellent Spalatin, that they are pressingyou and the other superintendents to remove the pastors in Torgau because their voices are too weak to fill the churches.
This is not the first time we have heard this old song, especially as they hear Wolfgang Fuss when he preaches.
But do not let yourselfbe talked over, my Spalatin, into making such a doubtful alteration solelybecause of the singlerecommendation of voice,which would offend many.
For if we once beganto permit the peopleto dismiss their pastors whenever they felt inclined,how longwould we retain our pastors ?
Take yourself,for example.
Would you allow yourselfto be set aside merely on account of your voice or health ?
Gabriel and the other clergyin Torgau possess so many other good qualities that they not only cast MagisterWolfgang'svoice into the shade, but eclipse his other properties.
Therefore pray spare us this trial,which we feel would It would not be easy anywhere to find such superior men as those in Torgau, and it would be a disgraceto us, merely because of their weak voices,to exchange such excellence for what is so much worse, especially when they do so much good by their faithful teachingand reading of the Scriptures. The others through their loud tones tickle the ears of the mob, but really do less good, or onlybenefit themselves.
Cassel took placein January between Melanchthon and Bticer, etc.
Pope sent his legate, Vergerius, to confer with Protestant, gave up his bishopric, and took refuge with Wiirtemburg,where he circulated the Elector John Frederick renewed the treaty with the Schmalkalden for ten years, even
France sending their representatives.
Grace and peace in Christ !
Certainly, my dear,good friend,I have been slow in thankingyou for the song you sent and the Hieronymus is my witness how often
I intended writing,but could get no one to take a letter.
I beg you to forgive me, for I know you wish me well from your heart,and I feel the same towards you, althoughit is not alwayseasy to express it.
We singas well as we can at table,and continue afterwards.
If we make some mistakes it is not our fault,but that of our skill,which is stillvery limited, even after going over the air three or four times.
Virgilsingswe are not all alike,and we would rather singit correctly than incorrectly.
And even if composers make it first-class, our ideas transcend even that,so we hope you will not take offence if we do our best.
Kathie trusts you will not take this jokingamiss,and she sends you kindlygreetings.I herewith commend you to Luther begs him not to be impatientto have a change of abode.
I see all your motives,my I cannot approve of your beingovercome of the first or even second onslaughtof Satan, making you desire a change of residence.
Satan cannot be vanquishedthroughany such change, for he is a spiritwhich roams everywhere; still, if you were to get a call soon you would be justified in leaving.
Junkers are almost all,if not enemies, at least open despisersof the Word and its servants, and Christ has suffered it thus far,but when
He appears in the full glory of His power theywill have to atone for this.
I know of nothing new except that there are rumours of a future council at which religious matters will be settled.
What may be arrangedGod only knows, to whom I commend you, with your house vine and olive branches.
This youth Emmer, the bearer of these lines, is house tutor to Dr. Jonas'ssons, and wishes to become acquainted with other celebrated men on his journey.
Luther begshim to find another placefor a certain StrSbel.
Grace and peace in Christ,dear You are a good,kind man I beseech you to find |a good post for Christopher StrObel when you can.
He is an excellent man, as you know, and cannot live in the swamps here without injuryto his health, being used to mountain air.
Neither our meats nor drinks suit him, and we must not be angry with him on this account, for who knows how long any of us may be spared in Wittenberg with such strange meat and drink
With you the air is better, and you live nearer the birds in the heavens, whereas we are too near the fish of the sea, or rather the abyssesof the earth
; hence we have worse food.
Hausmann from such a low-lyingplace to better air,for it is not good that his decliningyears should be spent amid the smells which abound in this place.
Greet your wife and olive branches from me, and pray for me.
The grace of God and peace of Christ, honoured and virtuous lady !
Your brother has told me how earnestly you desire to enjoy the muchprized sacrament of the Supper in both kinds, and wish to know if it may be privatelypartaken of in your own house.
And although this was usual in the Papacy, I cannot advise it for the sake of the example to others.
For through time every one might so take advantage of the permission,that at length the churches would be empty, instead of beingthe meeting-placeof all,where they make a publicprofession of their faith.
But if you are set upon it,and like to risk it,your conscience approving,then do it in I commit you with my poor prayers.
PerhapsChrist is punishing us for our sluggishness in this way for not besieging Him with our prayers.
He never slumbers,even when we sink into deep sleep.
You cannot think how much we have to endure from the insolence and intrigues of the Junkers and rabble,so that I am sure that were you here you would have more to endure from the many than you have there from the calumnies of a single man.
I am certain that the Papacy is the deviFs kingdom, which His anger has sent upon the world ; and what kingdom could be more in unison with the world, for the world wills to have the devil for its god ?
Once it seemed to be the duty of the Bishopsto suppress this tyranny, but the means used were too violent.
For in humbling this abomination the Church would speedily have been extinguished.
Now this furyis againraisingher head, but there is no lack of courageous men who could take those tyrants captivein the very chains they have forgedaround the I do not wander in the counsel of these people,but cleave to those who fear God, for our kingdom is above.
I write this to you to show how my heart beats in unison with yours, and to beg you not to leave your congregation.
For this cause left I thee in Crete,"to proclaimthe Word to God's elect and elsewhere,all for the sake of the elect.
Let this be your aim.
You are a servant of God's chosen ones, and the target of the reprobate. If we only could render good service to the elect and the least of Christ's servants
Oh that you could endure to the end, dear And althoughthere is no man on I would rather have near me than you, not only because of our old brotherlyfriendship, but because
I ever found in you a comforter,a man full of faith in God, whom I would like to have by my side in my dying hour, still
I would rather sacrifice myself than see your congregation suffer.
Who knows what advantagesGod is preparing for you through this trial .'' Let us only pray and arm ourselves in patience.You ask our
Prince's opinionof your proposal.What if I came, or rather fled,to you He is the best of Princes ; but exceptinghim, there is no one who would not suspect me.
From this you may see what a zeal there is for Meantime singthis psalm, Ah, it cannot be otherwise We must ellDOw our way through glory and shame, through reproach and error, through evil and good, through " devils and angels, to that only One who alone is good.
I beseech you, dear brother, listen to no one, but commune solelywith All others,although they may be the best of men, have more sense of justice than endurance.
For we are all human, and the flesh combats the spirit on the battle-ground.But if it gets the length of defyingyou to your face,and openly showing their hatred to you, then it will be time to think of other remedies.
How strong God permitsthe devil to be, and us so weak Do not be offended with me, and consider that God is perhapsprovingus, and that it is not perhapsa blessed thingto trust in man, even if he be a prince, while it is shameful for a Christian to fear men.
Christ,our life,salvation,and glory,be with you and all belongingto us.
Fear of the plaguedrove the University staff to Jena.
July 9, 1535Grace and peace in Christ,with my poor paternoster.
Serene High-born Prince,most graciousLord BrUck has shown me your Electoral Highnessesgracious request, occasioned by the flightof so many here, who are in mortal dread of death, and I humbly thank you for your solicitude and offer,of which I shall gladlyavail myselfwhen necessary.
But my weather-cock, on whom I implicitly rely,is the overseer Metsch, who has a marvellous hawk's nose for the pestilence, and would smell it even were it hidden five ells below ground.