To the honorable, our especially beloved Herr Martin Luther, Doctor of the Holy Scriptures, for his personal attention.
God's grace and peace in Christ. Highly-worthy and celebrated, beloved, dear Fahter snd friend!. Your writing to makes me greatly grateful to E.W. for the special favor that you by such writing that has such great consideration for me and my poor soul; and secondly that in spite of the trouble and sickness of your head you desire [for which I am thankful] to know about the purity of doctrine which you delight in along with myself.If I could deserve such favor I would be delighted and be obligated to do everything I could. Also your illness and burdens have a truly heartfelt,faithful, brotherly, yes,childlike sympathy and moreover would prevail with God by my sinful prayer that such illness and burdens will be for the betterment of many poor sinners not only for the salvation of souls but also for greater health, and I pray that also not so much weariness will be laid upon you so that the divine Word cannot be furthered by you and God be praised. We are not without the party of the Sacramentarians sneaking about in the land and it is impossible in such a vast land to defend against the sneakers and it is not apparent to the eye what each one has in his heart. Also previously this land was denuded of people so one must take care in expelling such people that the land again become a wilderness. Nevertheless-because it is not possible or advantageous to hinder the people-and so that the glory of God is nevertheless not diminished I thank God Who permits His Word richly to go forth and that especially my god-father Doctor Brismann and Herer Poliander carry out their office valiantly with warnings and teachings ( by that giving complete hope in God that the devil will not be able to do harm)and I have in that regard commanded that everywhere that such persoms neither openly or secretly in their teachings or sermons
tangle things up, and permit each one to believe for himself since it is not seemly for me to bring the people the faith by force and permit each one to receive his reward on Judgment Day if he departs from Scripture. There is concern even by you that there may be many who do not hold the same belief although they may not be saying anything. And if I have done too little in this undertaking and am not furthering the glory of God I would like to hear it from you what further could be done in a Christian way. And although the good and bad seed must grow together on this earth I yet want to pray God this; you pray with your church also that His almightiness would increase the best and restrain the bad with the mouth of His holy Word. For the new newspaper you should know that the German-order in Latvia (oifland)
might well name my brother, Markgraf Wilhelm, Coadjutor, and also Capitel Island(Oesel-island around Riga) and the Stifts of Riga and Island Knight-communities
together with the city of Riga be reckoned and united so that the holy, divine Word of both the Old and New Testaments according to their content and power should be preached clearly and purely and simply and preachers supported; God grant His further grace. My brother will write to you about that. So I pray that you will be helpful to S.L. with preachers although I do not know if meanwhile S.L. has someone in mind and I can not know what doctrine they are inclined to and if there are any errors supported. Pray that however you will on that account for the good and acceptance of the Glory of God that you would be helpful in this matter so that preachers come to S.L. I commend myself to your devout prayer and if it is possible for me to receive a copy of your commentary on John 6 as I have written to you previously and I want to with great desire to be deserving of it. I commend you and us herewith to our one and only Savior Christ Jesus; may He preserve us all in His pure, plain Word and right doctrine,Amen. Dated in the city of Koenigsberg on June 11th Anno 1533.
I plead that you will assure Philip of my willingness to serve and greet him and that he commend me in his prayers and so my dear wife invites the prayers of both of you, your virtuous wives and your homes to similar prayers and to the same degree etc.
Albrect, Markgraf and Duke,etc.
NoTE: I am thinking that S.L. must stand for Latvia or Liefland.
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