Grace and peace in Christ! You take care, be careful, my dear Caspar, of the Enthusiasts (Schwaermer) since you are very idle in the duties, as you indicate, of your office so as not to be partakers of their troubles. God has already twice punished: first under Muenzer, and now under the Zwinglians. I am concerned that Augsburg is about to have their part in it. If you are not able to do anything else, do as the Jews who were captive in Babylon and had to be without a temple, without worship services, without the use of their Moses (Mosaic ceremonies?)but had only the Word to suffice for seventy long years. It is not yet advisable that you should be confined to a corner as an oddity. Suffer such affliction and be consoled with reading and teaching of the h.(holy) Word and sighing and praying; as Daniel prayed toward Jerusalem, so you also with longing for the Sacrament with sighing until God sees to it. There is not so great a trouble with Baptism; one baptized all right in houses under the Papacy and you can baptize and pray there as well as in the church. Also you can bless marriages in houses
and rely upon that yet; and if it cannot be otherwise and the Council forbids such baptisms as before I was accustomed to accept the Papists' with the conditions that while we consider their Baptism valid we do not accept their faith and teaching in other matters. The Enthusiasts have neither Baptism nor Sacrament. So much in haste since I am to a great extent overburdened. Herewith be commended to God, Amen. 3 January. D. Mart. Luther.
NOTES: The year not given is assumed to be 1532 on the basis of the letter to Link which follows.
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