Not less, the following writings have been included in the class of those that, to a certain extent, address the fourth commandment, and have been printed together here:
7) A "sermon that one should keep the children to school", which Luther dedicated to Lazarus Spengler, Syndicus at Nuremberg, and in the letter praised by the council there that he had established such a beautiful school with many costs and had appointed such skilled people that no high school, even if it was the Parisian one, was equipped with such teachers. Mr. Urban Gottlieb Hausdorf has included this letter in the "Life Description of Lazarus Spengler", p. 179, edited in 1741, and thereby p. 184 that before Spengler had read it and Dietrich had only given him news of it, he had written the following to him: "That I should be so respected by the pious Christian man, the Doctor, as to ascribe his works to me, I accept quite gratefully and yet in such a way that for this reason I should not ascribe any glory to myself, as if I were so great, intelligent and respectable as to dedicate this or other such works to myself; but for such I think to ascribe all glory and praise to him alone, to whom all honor is also justly due, and to cry out with the pious David: Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed nomini tuo da gloriam (i.e. "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give the glory"). After this dedication follows an address to the pastors and teachers, in which he encourages them to see to it that the youth is not neglected, but encouraged to learn useful sciences. In the sermon itself, he presents the necessity and the great benefit of well-established schools, taking the opportunity not only to speak of preachers, but also to teach various things worth reading about jurists, physicians and philosophers. It was first published with the inscription: "Eine Predigt Mart. Luther's sermon that children should be kept in schools. To Lazarus Spengler, syndicus of the city of Nuremberg" at Wittenberg in 1530 in quarto, which
first edition was used for the print in this part.. In von der Hardt's "Autographa Lutheri", tom. II, p. 160, and Olearius' Verzeichniß der "Autographa Lutheri", p. 31, this edition is mentioned. This sermon is also found in the other collections of Luther's writings, as in the Jenaische (Thl. V, p. 168), Wittenbergische (Thl. VI, p. 331), Altenburgische (Thl. V, p. 302) and Leipzigische (Thl. XXII, p. 208); the content of it is told by Seckendorf in ,,Histor. Lutheranismi," libr. II, § 83, p. 216.
[Cf. Erl. ed., 1st ed. vol. 20,1-45, 2nd ed. 17, 377-421.]
8) A writing, "To the Councillors of all German Cities, that they should establish and maintain Christian schools," which contains an emphatic admonition that, because the schools and academies are in a bad state, one should take serious care of their preservation and good establishment and not spare any expense, so that the children, who have been neglected so far, may learn something righteous and especially the languages, which are necessary for the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures and the spreading of the Gospel. Among other things, he warns the Germans that they should not show ingratitude for the benefit of the divine word, which God has given them abundantly, because otherwise he fears that more terrible darknesses and plagues may come, and adds: "Dear Germans, buy because the market is at the door; gather because it is shining and the weather is good; use God's grace and word because it is there. For this you should know, God's word and grace is a driving downpour that does not return where it once was." The first edition of this writing came under the title: "To the Rathsherrn of all cities of German country, that they should establish and hold Christian schools. Martin Luther" at Wittenberg in 1524 in quarto, was then printed again, and also brought into Latin, which translation was published in that year 1524 with Philipp Melanchthon's preface under the title: De constituendis scholis Martini Lutheri liber donatus latinitate came to light at Hagenau and was there reissued. Of the Latin editions of this treatise see
man von der Hardt's "Autographa Luth. I, p. 196. There is also p. 177 of the first German edition. It is in the collections of Luther's writings, as in the Jenaische (Thl. II, p. 459), Wittenbergische (Thl. VI, p. 322), Altenburgische (Thl. II, p. 804) and Leipzigische (Thl. XIX, p. 333). The translation is found in the Latin Wittenbergische Theilen (II, p. 438). Thus, it has also been printed in this part, after it had previously been overlooked and the first edition cited was used.
[The Erlanger Ausgabe, vol. 22, 168-199, lists eight editions from 1524, of which it, like Walch, used the first.
D. Red.]