To the , in Christ, highly-honorable man Brother Gerhard von Xanten, the faithful and pure servant and disciple of Christ.
Grace and peace in Christ! I, my dear Gerhard, have always held that Your Way of Life pleases me very much after being free from the papal flap (Unflat) and bonds of conscience, as you instruct the believing in the fear and discipline of God. For that reason I am surprised and not only that but I am sorry that you have to do with these new hypocrites of the Gospel who do nothing for the school or the church and only appear to be inclined to the Word when they destroy everything and build nothing. I have written, and justly so, that the cloisters were formerly schools and should be so but see nothing which resembles a school. And I have spoken of those cloisters which have been instituted by the treasury of the Prince and King and which idle people have made places of lust with the funds that were given. Your institution is a private-house provided for by your own labors as when a citizen instructs his own children. Those were, however, public institutions founded from the common funds as cloister and cathedral-institutions.I am talking about them. What requires you to apply what you have worked for to serve them? Why do they not give something from themselves and apply the common goods in addition? I have written over this matter to your Council and called them out for miss using our word:"Time itself will find a solution". Thus I would that Your Way be supported so long as you through the freedom and grace of Christ in love serve and benefit many. Greet for me all your brothers and sisters in Christ. Master Philipp is waway. D. Pommer wants to greet you. Given on the Saturday after Luke (24 Oct.) Anno 1534.
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