Letter

him with open arms, if he come ; he need have no fear on account of havinginjured me.

I know that offences will come, and it is no marvel when, a man falls, but it is a miracle when he recovers himself and remains steadfast.

Peter fell,so that he might know he was human.

Even in the present day the cedars of Lebanon, whose branches almost reach heaven, fell.

Yes, even an angel in heaven fell,which was indeed a marvel" and Adam fell in paradise.

So, is it to be wondered at that the reed should bend before the storm, and the glimmering torch be extinguished Jesusenable you to perfect this good work.

Thanks for your good wishes,dear Spalatin.Through the grace of I reached home in good health, at least bodily. God knows if also spiritually.

All this I owe to your love.

I got your letter from the brothers.

Prince wishes to make our esteemed (Staupitz) a bishop,and desires your cooperation.

You are actinguprightly as a friend,but I would like that your entreaties with the honoured father were not so fullof fire; for I shall act differently, so that he who is beingover-praised may hesitate in his purpose.

Do you wonder at this ?

Certainly not because I despiseyour counsel,but because love prompts the desire,consequently the judgment is in abeyance.

*' For true love," says " seldom judgesaright."I say this because you are swayed by the I do not wish the esteemed father to do what you urge to pleasethe

Prince is fascinated with much that appears lovelyin his sight,which is far from pleasing to Wise is very clever in worldlythings, but in those pertaining to God and the salvation of souls

I consider him sevenfold blind,even as your I do not say this in a corner to malign them, but to their faces at every opportunity.Were

I certain that your project came from God, then, would that you had a tongue of fire,and the Pater were pure stubble !

But remember that what you and the Prince are discussing secretly is known, for before I got your letter I heard that the esteemed father would be made

These happy times are long gone by when it was considered a grandthing to be a bishop,but now there can be no more miserable position, for it means leading a life of gluttonyand debauchery such as that of You see this when you compare the lifeand work of the old bishopswith ours.

How many are immersed in wars, while their homes have become a very hell of insatiable greed!

Notice how far this man is removed from such vices, so that when the time comes for him to be lured into the terrible vortex of the Bishop'scourts you will try to prevent the calamity.

If your petition reallyadmits of no delaytell me at once, because the esteemed father does not return from Antwerp tillautumn, so I must send a specialmessenger to Cologne,where he told us to forward his letters.

Farewell in the Lord, and pray for us.

From the cloister at Wittenberg.

AugustinianPrior in Neustadt,whom Luther deposedbecause he could not keep the peace with the brethren.

But not such peace as is manifest to the natural man, but that which lies beneath the cross, viz. the peace which passethall understanding.Thou art longingfor peace, but in the wrong way

; for thou seekest it as the world givesit,and not as thou know, dear father,that in this matter God deals in a wondrous manner with His people,having placedHis peace in the midst of dispeace, nay, in the very thick of temptationand dissensions.

Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies."

Therefore it is not he whom no one disturbs who has peace " that is the world's peace, but he who is troubled on every side,and bears all quietly and joyfully.Thou sayest with " Peace, peace, and there is no peace." Cry rather with And yet there is no cross.

For, as soon as thou canst joyfullysay, Blessed cross, of all kinds of wood there is none like unto thee."

Then, in that moment, the cross has ceased to be a cross.

See, then, how graciouslythe Lord is leadingthee to true peace in surroundingthee with so much of the cross.

For he who seeks peace will find it.

And the best way to seek it is,when affliction overtakes you, to receive it with joy, as a sacred relic,and cease searchingvainlyfor a peace which commends itself to your lower nature.

God considers any such peace far inferior to His peace, which is inseparable from the cross and the troubles of this life.

Farewell,and pray for me, dear father.

It was in Lange's church in Erfurt,stillstanding, where the firstevangelical sermon was preached.

Luther beginslecturing on I would require two secretaries, for I do nothingalmost all day but write letters,therefore if I repeat myselfyou will understand why it is.

I am lecturer in the cloister, reader at meals,preach daily,and direct the students* studies,am the (which means being vicar eleven times over), inspectorof fish-pondsat

Leitzkau, must espouse the Herzberg people'scause at Torgau, expounder of Psalms, besides my letter-writing.

Behold what a leisurely man I am, and in addition am plaguedby the temptationsof the world, the flesh,and the devil.

I sent several of the brethren you sent me to Magister Spangenberg, to take them away from this pestilential air.

I felt much drawn to the two from Cologne,and having such a highopinionof their abilities, kept them with me, although at much expense.

We support twentytwo priests, forty-twoyouths,etc., out of our poverty.

But the Lord will provide.

You write that you began to lecture on the Sentences yesterday. I shall begin to expound the Epistleto the Galatians to-morrow, althoughI fear that with the plague here

I shall not be able to continue.

It has alreadyrobbed us of two or three, but not in one day.

The smith oppositelost a son, who was in good health yesterday, and the other is infected.

Yes, indeed,here it is, and is beginningto rage with great vehemence especially among the young.

You counsel me to flee for refugeto you.

The world will not come to an end althoughBrother Martin perish. But if the plaguespread,I shall send the brothers out into the world.

As for me, seeingI have been placedhere, my vows of obedience demand that I remain tillI am ordered elsewhere.

I have no fear of death,for I am not the ApostlePaul, but onlyhis expounder,and I stillhope the Lord will deliver me from this fear also.

Farewell,and think of us.

Luther nailed his ninety-five theses on the door of the Church in Wittenberg.

He was impelledto this,through Tetzel's sale of Indulgences, at the instigation of the Archbishopof Mayence.