#1979-To Spalatin

To the,in Christ, highly honorable man, Herr M.G. Spalatin, the faithful servant of the
Word of the LOrd, his very oldest friend.
"Grace and peace in Christ". I write, though not having much leisure and not very healthy according to the flesh, my dear Spalatin, but finally in reference to your question. So receive an answer in opposition to your question. If you are thoroughly bored with peace and quiet which God has recently granted you (it is easy for me to believe that you believe this and that because of long-standing mutural friendship you will easily understand): then you can be confident and freely permit that the sermons at the Castle be inaugurated namely ( as they say)in alternation which is delectable. Up till now, peace, in the future nothing but one disturbance upon another. If you would rather exchange peace for uproar so that you finally taste this salad you are going to make it so that you and your colleagues will have people at the Castle who oppose you and afflict you. For the rest, "let them chant and sing in the church" so that at least in that service God will serve them in that they will be forced to have the Scriptures and Psalm before their eyes and in their memories; who knows what fruit might thus result. My lordess (Kaethe) greets you respectfully but I greet yours moreso yet with the right to reserve both suspicion and jealousy. On the 24th of May 1533. Your Martin Luther,D., who has written this very happily at breakfast time.
NOTES: The Editors say that Luther is jokingly dissuading Spaltain with having a series of sermons at the Castle where others will be participating in the preaching perhaps Papists, many who remain at the Stiftkirche in Altenburg with Spalatin, or perhaps some of the Zwinglian persuasion.
The greeting to Spalatin's wife, another Catarina, is also made jokingly, no doubt
There is a question on the phrase where I have ML saying that he is in opposition to the question of Spalatin.