Grace and peace in Christ. My dear Magister Gabriel! It makes me sad that your Torgauers have so unthankfully placed themselves against the Gospel and dare in their own thirst to make parish-heads and cappelans their servants and demand their pleasure from the community administration.Who has taught them such arbitrary use of authority and that it is not right for them to rob? Is this the fruit of faith? Well then since they have become so forgetful and fallen away from the faith you should on the other hand do nothing that they want. We have with great effort and work rescued them from in sufferable tyranny of the Pope and are yet striving without ceasing for their freedom and they go on to trample us under their feet, and strengthen the Pope and shame us: may their undertaking be cursed,Amen. No other city does so except for a few of the nobility. If they want to make the parish-head their slave, then they must provide for all necessities of food,housing and every need. You have nothing from them so hold back from your support as a citizen and be in no way under oath or obligated; and you should be just as other citizens and moreso. In addition I want that they should lose the selection of a parish-head. This is appropriate for the Prince that he should provide a stork to hack away at the head of the gross frogs. Are these unreasonable fellows such that they must have chruch-servants free of charge and be free apart from assistance from the Pope? And Halle,Leipzig, Dresden and others would gladly give much money and take these preachers off their hands. I must come and on the pulpit rub my knuckles on the bristles (beard) of the Farchmutter (?). So you stay with the community-administration and don't mix both regimens (church and state) together and also don't let them mix them up; since it might offensive to the common man and intolerable to the Prince if he learns that his servants, who have benefits and everything from him should be made servants to foreign lords. They have become coarse,proud, and unreasonable and they want God to be blind to their unbelief; thus we must not follow them nor consent. Herewith be commended to God,Amen.Martinus Luther.
This writing was given in Wittenberg on the day after St.Michael's (Sept.30)between the sixth and seventh hour before noon Anno 1535 and Doctor Luther said that this writing may be made known to the Prince and Lords.
NOTE" White storks are said to love frogs. Storks along the Elbe? or on the rooftops delivering babies?
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