To the highly-honorable man, Erhard Schnepf, the faithful servant of the Word in Hesse, his very dear brother.
Grace and peace in the Lord!
To me also, as well as you, it portends to joy , my dear Erhard, that your Prince [Philip of Hesse] has not despised this Diet but is in attendance and to have done otherwise would have burdened not only him with intolerable hatred but also the matter of the Gospel which already is sufficiently suppressed by these enthusiastic spirits [Schwarmgeister]. The Lord witnesses through such proofs that He is with us and we see that our sighing has brought this about so that the God of the humbled and perplexed does not forsake us in the end but brings a win over the temptation in the end [1 Cor.10:13]; to Whom be praise and glory forever, Amen.
I have written this letter to your Prince which you see before you and which, when you have opportunity, deliver it to him and if necessary, add the power of your words. I am neither hopeful or despiring regarding his faith; therefore likely I have not been insistent in admonishing duly as befits the matter of him avoiding the plague of such people and the nothingness of the allurements of Satan. Were it not that Christ Himself has promised to hear our prayers I would myself have given up in this matter; so it stands written [Psallm 145:18]: " The Lord is near all who call upon Him, those who earnestly appeal"; and again [Ps.34:18]: "When the righteous cry, then the Lord hears." Yes, He commands the same and says [Ps.50:15]: "Call upon Me in need, so I will save you, and you should praise Me." This should be a brass wall, Amen.
The grace of God be with you; be strong in Him and be it right well with you in Him and at the same time be mindful of me in your prayers just as I am mindful of you.
From the wilderness [Coburg] on the 20th of June 1530. Your Martin Luther.
[Notes: Luther's letter to Philip of Hesse on the same day is in Vol.XVII, p.1960.]
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