Grace and peace. Honorable and perceptive, dear lords and good friend! I have been happy to read that you in Zwickau have become pious; I also want to write the pastor,when I can, that he also should rightly be so. That I should so easily believe one party or yet do so may it be, as God wills, that you do not take it amiss bluntly. I have been quite burned by the star of Zwickau and know quite well its brilliance and influence. Therefore the suspicion be easily aroused from the great brilliance of previous events; nevertheless I praise the preachers,people and congregations and also the greater portion of the Council and consider the whole heaven over Zwickau filled with favorable star not to mention that the great planets over Zwickau are wonderful,making a unique constellation, and confuse heaven with other stars by which Example also they want to tear down other cities. This is in my heart that the regiments, church and state, should not be mixed or one devour the other and both be done in as under the Papacy, as St. Paul says (2 Cor.12:20.): "You bite and eat one another see to it that you do not devour each other." I think, if God wills, it good if you well take my writing as well intended. Herewith, be commended to God,Amen. Midweek after Mauritius (27 Sept.)1536. M.Lutherus
NOTA BENE: Not sure about the stars and planets and whether ML is referring to some phenomena or making fun of their boasting as if ordained by heaven. What do you think? I could have missed something.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
#2289-To Spalatin in Altenburg
To the highly-renown man, Herr Magister Georg Spalatin,Pastor and Bishop of the church in Altenburg,in the LOrd,my very dear (friend).
Grace and peace in Christ! I plead with you, my dearest Spalatin, you would immediately with M.Brisger, who is returning, as soon as he is there, that you with him faithfully help the poor Elsa of Reinsberg to be received or at any rate, sustained by you and also that you do not permit her to be harrassed or troubled by bitter words. Who knows in what person the poor and begging Christ may be honored? I see everywhere things which I lament so that I fear, in short time, the Word of grace will be taken away from us because of unbelieving unthankfulness and the despising of it. Almost all of the congregations think thus: we free ourselves from the poor and send them to Wittenberg; we experience this daily. "No one wants to do more good and help the poor", meanwhile we seek what is ours and with a frenzy. "Well",that is the fate of the world. Be it well with you and pray for me. On the Sunday after Matthew (24 Sept.)1536. Your Martin Luther,D
Grace and peace in Christ! I plead with you, my dearest Spalatin, you would immediately with M.Brisger, who is returning, as soon as he is there, that you with him faithfully help the poor Elsa of Reinsberg to be received or at any rate, sustained by you and also that you do not permit her to be harrassed or troubled by bitter words. Who knows in what person the poor and begging Christ may be honored? I see everywhere things which I lament so that I fear, in short time, the Word of grace will be taken away from us because of unbelieving unthankfulness and the despising of it. Almost all of the congregations think thus: we free ourselves from the poor and send them to Wittenberg; we experience this daily. "No one wants to do more good and help the poor", meanwhile we seek what is ours and with a frenzy. "Well",that is the fate of the world. Be it well with you and pray for me. On the Sunday after Matthew (24 Sept.)1536. Your Martin Luther,D
Thursday, July 23, 2009
#2288-To Nicolaus Hausmann in Dessau
To the highly-gifted man, Herr Nicolaus Hausmann, servant of Christ in the church at Dessau, his very dear brother in the LOrd.
Grace and peace! I seldom write to you,good Nicolaus, since there is nothing at hand and our news you very well know and your Court learns of it before ours does. Both Markgrafs (likely Joachim and Johann sons of the Elector of Brandenburg) are straying from the Gospel; if you did not already know you should know now and I do not know what evil among us is glimmering here. I am sharing herewith my new decision about you. I am thinking that you should be called away from there and become a colleague in my house so that you can finally enjoy peace and rest. I already have the assurance from your brother that he will support you here by me. I cannot see that this position there is for you.
D.Hieronymous Weller is happy; he has gone away from me to a nearby house which I am glad to see.
The matter of the Emperor is not of such great happiness as it is rumored. One hears that about five hundred men have gone because of hunger among whom several prominent leaders in the war as the Markgraf Friedrich, the Probst in Wurzburg,Caspar von Fronsberg and I do not know which others.
It appears me that the Council has passed over more than they have urged although it is said that Duke Georg has written a ponderous book against the Bishops which he is thinking to bring as an ordinance according the Canon and that is like comparing God with the devil.
From England our Alesius writes that the new queen Johanna (Seymour) crowned on St. Michael's Day feast is an enemy of the Gospel, as he says, the position of the kingdom has now changed so that Antoninus is hiding and must be silent and is not without being in danger. Yet neverthelesss the King persists in trying to demonstrate his return to the Pope and that it is concluded throughout the entire kingdom that no one should journey to the Council except those whom the King has previously consented to go to the Council which will never happen. The lords are divided over this so that the Council will become a fable or at least a definite time will not be set for it. However, when the time has passed who can determine a different time? "The whole world is full of boobishness." Be it well with you in the LOrd and pray for me, dear brother,since I very much need the same. Greet your very good Prince respectfully for me. Mid-week after Lambertus (20 Sept.)Anno 1535.
Grace and peace! I seldom write to you,good Nicolaus, since there is nothing at hand and our news you very well know and your Court learns of it before ours does. Both Markgrafs (likely Joachim and Johann sons of the Elector of Brandenburg) are straying from the Gospel; if you did not already know you should know now and I do not know what evil among us is glimmering here. I am sharing herewith my new decision about you. I am thinking that you should be called away from there and become a colleague in my house so that you can finally enjoy peace and rest. I already have the assurance from your brother that he will support you here by me. I cannot see that this position there is for you.
D.Hieronymous Weller is happy; he has gone away from me to a nearby house which I am glad to see.
The matter of the Emperor is not of such great happiness as it is rumored. One hears that about five hundred men have gone because of hunger among whom several prominent leaders in the war as the Markgraf Friedrich, the Probst in Wurzburg,Caspar von Fronsberg and I do not know which others.
It appears me that the Council has passed over more than they have urged although it is said that Duke Georg has written a ponderous book against the Bishops which he is thinking to bring as an ordinance according the Canon and that is like comparing God with the devil.
From England our Alesius writes that the new queen Johanna (Seymour) crowned on St. Michael's Day feast is an enemy of the Gospel, as he says, the position of the kingdom has now changed so that Antoninus is hiding and must be silent and is not without being in danger. Yet neverthelesss the King persists in trying to demonstrate his return to the Pope and that it is concluded throughout the entire kingdom that no one should journey to the Council except those whom the King has previously consented to go to the Council which will never happen. The lords are divided over this so that the Council will become a fable or at least a definite time will not be set for it. However, when the time has passed who can determine a different time? "The whole world is full of boobishness." Be it well with you in the LOrd and pray for me, dear brother,since I very much need the same. Greet your very good Prince respectfully for me. Mid-week after Lambertus (20 Sept.)Anno 1535.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
#2287-Nicolaus von Amsdorf to Luther
Look, my honorable Father in Christ, the judgment of D. Tridensis and the writing which Aepinus sent to me and that which he himself writes which are immediately read by the the Wittenbergers. While Philipp is absent I am sending them to you. Here it is said that contradictory things are being taught in Wittenberg. They stress heavily in the school that works are necessary for everlasting salvation but that you,however, in the very same week, on Sunday in the church, according to your blessed spirit, taught about the new birth: a child in the mother's womb does or works nothing but is only passive and is given form etc. This disturbs our people very much and also disturbs me. Our opponents in this city take heart against us and cause me toil and work in that they persuade people to return to their godless doctrine and to forsake the Gospel. Here I plead for your advice and plead again and again for the same. Here there is the rumor that the Pope has become a Lutheran because he preached twice in a week and likewise also several Cardinals. However, these are nothing things. "The devil is too strong there and together with his will not allow anything like that." The Bishop of Cologne has shaved his head and with a beard, dressed as a hunter, comes suddenly as a horseman in order to visit the Markgraf in Berlin. What that is about I do not know. Be it well with you. 14 Sept. Anno 1536. Your Amsdorf.
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