For the sixth request, many of Luther's writings have been read together here, which I will now also list one after the other. Such are:
1) "Beautiful selected sayings of the holy scripture, so that Luther comforted himself in great temptations", which was written by him in 1530 and, as it seems, at Coburg. For as far as one can conclude from the beginning of it, it was actually directed so that one might see from it how one was to comfort oneself and to take a good courage when tribulations and persecutions arose because of the divine word, which were to be worried about at that time, when Luther had to stay in Coburg during the Diet of Augsburg. The sayings that he cites here for comfort are mostly the same ones that he used in his letters to the theologians who were in Augsburg at the time, and this also makes it probable that Luther wrote such a document in Coburg. Matthias Flacius had it reprinted in 1550 in Magdeburg under the title: "Etliche tröstliche Vermahungen in Sachen, das heilige GOttes Wort betreffend, zu dieser betrübten Zeit sehr nützlich und tröstlich zu lesen," in quarto, which inscription is different from the one it has in Luther's parts. It is found in the Wittenbergische (Thl. II, p. 395), in the Jenaische (Thl. V, p. II), likewise in the Altenburgische (Thl. V, p. 66) and in the Leipzigische (Thl. XXII, p. 508). Here it says: "Beautiful selected sayings of the holy scriptures, so that the blessed man of God, D. M. Luther, comforted himself in great high temptations, presented to others as an example to comfort themselves in the same temptation." The remembered Flacius has noted in his edition on the first page to the reader of this with: "With these sayings the holy man and theure hero D. Martinus Luther has comforted himself Anno 1530, since the Adiaphoristen with their philosophical cleverness and godless union of Christ and Belial have troubled and frightened him very much" etc. From this writing Christian Schlegel has written in "Initia reformationis Coburgensis" in "Vita Ioannis
Langeri", p. 116, news given. With little Seckendorf commemorates the same in ,,Historia Lutheranismi", lib. Π, § 83, p. 213.
[Cf. Erl. ed. 23, 154-162.]
2) "Klage über schwere geistliche Anfechtung," which is taken from a letter Luther wrote to Melanchthon on the evening of Simonis und Judä in 1527. This Latin letter to Melanchthon is found in Aurif, Epist. Luth., tom. II, p. 355. Among other things, he says here: "Pray heartily and earnestly for ntich poor rejected worm, who is so hard afflicted with sadness and melancholy of spirit, yet according to the good and gracious will of the merciful Father. This is my only glory, that I have taught God's word pure and clear"; likewise: "I seek nothing else, I desire nothing else with great hunger and thirst, but to have a gracious God. So the Lord urges me with all his floods" etc. For precisely in the year 1527 mentioned above, God, according to His holy counsel, had severe temptations come upon the blessed man, which were so strong at one time that he had to fight a fierce battle and it seemed as if he would even lose his life over it, as we not only have testimonies of this in many letters that he wrote at that time, but Justus Jonas and Joh. Bugenhagen, who were with him, also wrote a special message about it. It is written in Latin in Aurif, Epist. Lutheri, tom. Π, p. 335 and 338, and in German in the Altenburgische Theilen (Thl. III, p. 772), although here the one and the other have been omitted, so is in the Latin essay. With this, God led him into the school in which he was to learn that which he himself considered to be the main characteristic of a teacher, namely temptation. The Lord tested him and he was found faithful. Here he reached the most important spiritual experience and was made even more skillful for great things. Cyriacus Spangenberg published ten sermons by Luther individually, which appeared in Erfurt in 1564 and were also printed in octavo in Eisleben in 1568. In the tenth, he deals with Luther's martyrdom and says: "In what Doct. Luther for hell-anxiety, death-...
He may have been willing to write it down for the teaching and comfort of other people, but the world may not have been worth it. One can read here Seckendorf's "Historie des Lutherthums", lib. II, § 36, p. 827, according to the German translation by Elias Fricke, and Joh. Caspar Funck's "Reformation History," p. 184.
[Cf. De W. Ill, 214-216.]
These writings are followed by several more, namely certain comfort writings and letters that Luther addressed to such persons who were burdened with melancholy and sad thoughts or were challenged on one or the other point. They are listed here together in this order:
3) "Trostschrift an Churfürst Johann zu Sachsen," August 14, 1531, as reprinted here from the Leipzig Collection (in the "Supplement," p. 68).
[The Elector had asked Luther to pray for him because of an intended journey, which Luther assures him of with heartfelt words in this letter. The letter does not really belong in this section, which deals with spiritual temptations. - De W. IV, 279-280. Erl. Ed. 54, 243. 244.
D. Red.]
4) "Trostschrift in geistlicher Anfechtung" to an unnamed prince, which Luther wrote in 1531. It is included in the Wittenbergische Theilen (Thl. IX, p. 470), the Jenaischen (Thl. V, p. 363), the Altenburgischen (Thl. V, p. 591) and the Leipzigischen (Thl. XXII, p. 514). In the reprint, which is in this present part, one has used the writing, which is under the title: "Etliche Trostschriften und Predigten für die, so in Todes- und anderer Noth und Anfechtung sind. D. Mart. Luther" was published in Wittenberg in 1546 in octavo, and I will give information about it in the following.
[De W. IV, 328. - Erl. ed. vol. 54, 261-263.]
5) "Consolation letter to one of nobility who, through the death of his overlord, has been deprived of the proceeds of long-
It is found in the Wittenbergische Theilen (Thl. IX, p. 475), the Jenaische (Thl. V, p. 562), the Altenburgische (Thl. V, p. 984) and the Leipzigische (Thl. XXII, p. 518).
[De W. IV, 397. - Erl. ed. 54, 325. 326.]
6) "Trostschrift in Schwermuth", so Luther wrote on October 6, 1534. It can be found in all the collections mentioned above, such as the Wittenbergische (Thl. XII, p. 165), Jenaische (Thl. VI, p. 220), Altenburgische (Thl. VI, p. 259) and Leipzigische (Thl. XXII, p. 525).
[De W. IV, 556. - Erl. ed. vol. 55, 62-64.]
7) "Comfort letter to Georg Spalatin in his melancholy over an admitted illicit marriage", which is a very strange letter and deserves to be read with attention. Spalatin, the pious and famous theologian of our church, fell into a great sadness, and when Luther, who was in Zeitz at the time, received news of this, he sat down and wrote this letter on August 21, 1544. Right at the beginning he testifies to his heartfelt compassion and reports that when he diligently inquired about Spalatin's concerns, he had been told by some that it was a melancholy that had arisen over a marriage case, since a pastor had married his previous deceased wife's stepmother. He had learned from his and Melanchthon's example what melancholy was, since the latter had already been executed by the sadness over the landgrave's affair in Weimar in 1540. If Spalatin were to blame for the marriage of the priest, if he consented to it, he would not have to worry himself to death about it, nor sin against God more grievously, but rather adhere to the grace and mercy of God, to the merit and blood of Jesus Christ, which cancels all, and among them also the greatest, sins, one only has to send oneself into the matter and believe that one is a true, great and damned sinner. The devil must be resisted, if he offers Christ in any other way than he does.
In this way, Luther tried to reassure Spalatin with the most moving and strong words. For this reason, Luther tried to calm Spalatin down, spoke to him with the most moving and strong words and testified very clearly how dear he was to him and how much he cared about his condition. Among other things he said: "You have had enough fear; you have been sad enough; you have atoned enough, yes, more than enough, therefore do not refuse comfort, let yourself be helped! Behold, my dear Spalatin, how from a loyal heart I act and speak with you." This letter is also included in Luther's parts, namely the Wittenberg (Thl. XII, p. 173), the Jena (Thl. VIII, p. 223), the Altenburg (Thl. VIII, p. 364) and the Leipzig (Thl. XXII, p. 539). It is further found in Olearius' "GeduldSchule," p. 223. 937; in Sigism. Scherertz's "Fuga melancholiae," p. 75; Joh. Friedr. Mayer's "Schwer angefochtenes und von Herzen betrübtes Kind GOttes," p. 711; Christ. Schlegel's "Historia vitae Georgii Spalatini", p. 171, and some other writings more. Among the "Auserlesenen Trost-Briefen Luther's", which Dr. Rambach has specially edited, this one is also to be found, p. 109.
Nothing can be said for certain about the actual cause of Spalatin's great sadness and melancholy. In general, it is thought that this happened because of a certain marriage, to which he consented; however, there is no other reason for this than what is written in Luther's letter to him, and there it is only reported that Luther heard from some that Spalatin's sadness stemmed from a marriage. Some pretend that he got the idea that the Elector was ungracious to him, but this is not credible. Others note that no cause could be found out, and perhaps several of them came together, which, however, did not become known. Be that as it may, so much is certain that he was worn down by this melancholy within a year. If, as is often believed, this occurred because he consented to a marriage that was forbidden by divine law, then it is clear that in such cases he would have
Luther had a very tender feeling of conscience, the like of which few have today. Of his melancholy itself and Luther's letter of consolation prompted by it, one can look up Seckendorf in "Historia Lutheranismi", libr. III, § 118, p. 517; Christ. Schlegel in "Historia vitae Spalatini", p. 168; the "Fortgesetzte Sammlung von alten und neuen theol. Sachen" 1730, p. 196, and 1731, p. 457, along with some others, which I have already mentioned in the preface to the 6th part, p. 5, and there gave a short account of Spalatin's life.
[Concerning the reason for Spalatin's melancholy, Luther says: he had learned that it was that well-known marriage case in which a pastor had married the stepmother of his deceased wife, and that at his (Spalatin's) approval. Concerning this case, Luther wrote to Amsdorf just one month before: "Venerable Father in Christ, I think that the marriage of the pastor with the stepmother of his deceased wife is an incestuous one, unless she would be mother-in-law in such a way that the father of his deceased wife would not have been her natural father, but her stepfather: Therefore, this marriage is either to be torn apart, or the couple is to be expelled from your diocese, for the sake of the astonishment that a pastor, so frequently admonished beforehand, has dared such." - The letter has been improved from the original Latin, partially retranslated and supplemented. - De W. V, 678-681. ed.]
8) "Trostschrift in Unglück und Trübsal", to Balthasar Jöppel, who was organist for Duke Georg zu Sachsen and a good friend of Luther, although this prince was known to have a very adverse and hostile heart against Luther. The son of the organist came to Wittenberg and when Luther heard from him that his father was ill, he wrote this consolation letter to him on May 10, 1534, which is also found in the Wittenberg (Thl. XII, p. 162), Jena (Thl. VI, p. 177), Altenburg (Thl. VI, p. 216) and Leipzig (Thl. XXII, p. 522) parts.
[De W. IV, 535. ed. 55, 47. 48.]
9) "Consolation Scripture in Anfechtung wegen der Seligkeit", with attached 142nd Psalm and
several consolation sayings. It is dated 1529 and can also be found in the previously mentioned collections of his writings: in the Wittenberg one (Thl. IX, p. 304 and 557), since the consolation text itself and the attached 142nd Psalm do not stand together; in the Jena one (Thl. IV, p. 577), in the Altenburg one (Thl. IV, p. 642) and Leipzig one (Thl. XXII, p. 507).
[De W. Ill, 582. ed. 54, 116. 117. 64, 294-297.]
10) "Trostschrift in Zweifeln an der Erwählung zur Seligkeit," which Joh. Aurifaber includes in the Eislebische Theilen (Thl. I, p. 418), after the same, as he notes, was sent to him printed from Strasbourg under the title: "Ein schöner christlicher Trostbrief des godtseligen Mann Martin Luther's an eine namhaftige Person in Niedersachsen geschrieben, die auf ihr selbst sitzen und mit übrigen Gedanken von der Versehung GOttes beladen worden," 1528 (20. July), whereupon it also came into the Altenburg (Thl. IV, p. 428) and Leipzig (Thl. XXII, p. 504) collections.
[De W. Ill, 354th Erl. ed. 54, 21-29.]
11) "Consolation letter in contestation because of the accident" to Barbara Lischner at Freiberg. This person was a sister of the godly Hieronymus Weller. In the parts of Luther's writings, in which such letter is printed, this female person is called: Barbara Lischner; but in the "Historia Welleriana", which Christoph Friedr. Lämmel published in 1700, it is reported on p. 46, that she was married as the oldest sister of Hieronymus Weller in 1525 to Georg von Lißkirchen and died in 1543 at Freiberg. Since she was challenged about the eternal providence of God, Luther sent this letter to her in April 1532 and told her that she had to resist such thoughts, which were stirred up by the devil, and that she had to stick to the grace of God and Christ's merit, that if she believed, she was also called, and if she was called, she would certainly be provided for. Among other things, it is remarkable what he writes here about himself: "I know the disease well and have lain in the hospital until eternal death." This letter is also
in the other parts of Luther, as in the Wittenberg (Thl. IX, p. 474), Jena (Thl. V, p. 561), Altenburg (Thl. V, p. 961) and Leipzig (Thl. XXII, p. 516). The reprint here is based on the "Trostschriften und Predigten für die, so in Todes- und anderer Noth sind, Wittenberg 1546", which I have already mentioned.
[Cf. De W. IV, 247-249. Erl. ed. 54, 228-231.]
12) "Trostschreiben in Anfechtung von der ewigen Versehung" [Letter of Comfort in Controversy over Eternal Provision] of August 8, 1545, which is of the same content as the one immediately preceding it. It is found in the Wittenbergische Theilen (Thl. XII, p. 176), in the Jenaische (Thl. VIII, p. 290), in the Altenburgische (Thl. VIII, p. 480) and in the Leipzigische (Thl. XXII, p. 544).
[De W. V, 782. ed. 56, 140. 142.]
13) "Two Writings of Consolation in Controversy because of Tiredness of Life". The first was addressed to Jonas von Stockhausen, captain at Nordhausen, from whom Luther had heard that he was being challenged and was tired of his life, and therefore wrote not only to him but also to his wife in 1532, which is the second writing. He encouraged the latter to fight and made him understand that, as in all things, so also in regard to temporal life, one must merely submit to the will of God and not prescribe a goal and measure for it; he asked her, however, to pay diligent attention to the man and not to leave him alone. The letter, which he sent to the captain himself on November 27, 1532, is included in the Wittenbergische Theilen (Thl. IX, p. 477), the Jenaische (Thl. V, p. 565), the Altenburgische (Thl. V, p. 1004) and Leipzigische (Thl. XXII, p. 518). The second writing has been found in Salom. Glassius' "Anfechtungs-Schule", Thl. III, p. 23; hereupon, however, Joh. Christfried Sagittarius brought it into the Altenburg collection (Thl. V, p. 1005), since it had not been in one before; from this, however, it came into the Leipzig collection (Thl. XXII, p. 519).
[De W. IV, 415-418. Erl. Ed. 54, 338-341.)
14) "Zwei Trostbriefe in Anfechtung wegen Unglaubens und Schrecken vor dem Gesetz" (Two Letters of Comfort in Controversy over Unbelief and Fear of the Law), to Valentin Hausmann, who had fallen into a controversy over his faith and received instructions here in two letters that Luther wrote to him in 1532 on how he should behave. These two letters are found in the Eislebische Theilen (Thl. II, p. 303. 314), in the Altenburgische (Thl. V, p. 1016. 1029) and in the Leipzigische (Thl. XXII, p. 520. 561), where they have been put together, as has also been done here; however, they have been printed twice there by mistake.
[De W. IV, 340; IV, 378 f. Erl. Eds. 54, 274 and 54, 308-310[.
15) "Letter of consolation in distress of conscience about the abandonment of the consumption of both forms against conscience," in which the circumstance also occurs that because this man's wife remained under both forms during the use of the Lord's Supper, one intended to divorce her from the man and expel her. Luther advised him that if he repented of his fall and got up again, he should dare in the name of God and let himself be expelled with wife and child, as he would have preferred to do without him. He wrote this to him on May 13, 1533. The letter is found in the Wittenbergische Theilen (Thl. XII, p. 161), in the Jenaische (Thl. VI, p. 123), in the Altenburgische (Thl VI, p. 32) and in the Leipzigische (Thl. XXII, p. 521).
[De W. IV, 449. ed. 55, 12.13.]
16) "Trostschrift in Anfechtung wegen eines entfahrenen Lästerworts", which came out on January 11, 1543 and was subsequently brought into the collections of Luther's writings, as, into the Wittenbergische (Thl. XII, p. 172), Jenaische (Thl. VIII, p. 187), Altenburgische (Thl. VIII, p. 274) and Leipzigische (Thl. XXII, p. 537).
[Cf. De W. V, 529-531. Erl. ed. 56, 44-46.]
17) Exhortation letter "To the Christians of Worms, to persevere firmly in the accepted doctrine of the Gospel," which was written on August 24, 1523, printed at Strasbourg, and subsequently submitted to the Eislebische (Thl. II,
p. 173), but was incorporated from these into the Altenburg (Thl. II, p. 358) and Leipzig (Thl. XVIII, p. 489) parts.
[De W. II, 392. ed. 53,197-200.]
18) Exhortation letter "To the Christians in Liefland to persevere in the Gospel", which was also written in August 1523 and published in this year in Wittenberg under the title: "To the chosen dear friends of God, all Christians in Revel and Derpt in Liefland, my dear lords and brothers in Christ, Mart. Luth. eccles. Witte- berg." in quarto has been promoted for printing. See von der Hardt's "Autographa Luth."." , tom. III, p. 84. Subsequently it has come into the German collections of Luther's writings, as, into the Wittenbergische (Thl. VI, p. 344), Jenaische (Thl. II, p. 272), Altenburgische (Thl. II, p. 903) and Leipzigische (Thl. XVIII, p. 487). In Latin, this writing is tom. Π. oper. Viteberg p. 498 And Epist. Luth, tom. II, p. 122.
[De W. II, 374-377. ed. 53, 190-194.]
§ LVII.
Just as these scriptures have been put together to explain the sixth petition of the Lord's Prayer, the same has been done with regard to the seventh petition and therefore the following have been added.
1) "Sermon on the Cross and Suffering of a True Christian," delivered by Luther in Erfurt and also inscribed there as follows: "A Christian Sermon, Preached on the Day of Severi in Erfurt in the Merchants' Church, on the Cross and Suffering, for the Improvement of Every Christian. D. Martin Luther" 1522 in Quart an's Licht gestellt worden. See von der Hardt's ,,Auto- grapha Luth.", tom. I, p. 136. After this special edition, however, it was reprinted together with other writings of Luther in the Eislebische (Thl. I, p. 99), Altenburgische (Thl. II, p. 154), Leipzigische (Thl. XXH, p. 191) and now in these parts, and one has here followed the first editions of Luther.
Edition. Luther gives here many good and salutary reminders of the cross, whose willing bearing is proven by faith alone and which alone are the right good works).
[Cf. Erl. ed. 1st ed. 20, 309-320. 2nd ed. 16, 448-461.]
2) "Fine Christian Thoughts of the Holy Fathers and Teachers (improved by Luther), that a Christian should bear all crosses with patience," of which little writing I can report nothing more than that it appeared under the title given in the year 1530 and came into the collections: into the Wittenbergische (Thl. IX, p. 439), in the Jenaische (Thl. V, p. 266), in the Altenburgische (Thl. V, p. 399) and in the Leipzigische (Thl. XXII, p. 512), and has been published again. Since Friedrich Sidel published Luther's "Tröstliche Abhandlung vom Leiden der Christen" here in 1725, he added these "Thoughts of the Holy Fathers".
[Erl. ed. 64, 298-300.]
3) "Tröstlicher Unterricht, wie man in Leibesschwachheit der Kleinmüthigkeit und andern Anfechtungen des Teufels begegge möge", which is the consolation with which Luther himself sought to raise a sick man at Wittenberg in 1534, and since such Mag. belongs to Veit Dietrich, he wrote it out word for word. Ludwig Rabus first made it known by printing it in the fourth book of his "Historie der Märtyrer" (History of the Martyrs); after that, however, it was given a place in the Eislebische (Thl. II, p. 331), Altenburgische (Thl. VI, p. 338) and Leipzigische (Thl. XXII, p. 527) parts.
[Erl. ed. 64, 300-312.]
4) "Trostbrief in Kleinmuth bei Krankheit", so Luther wrote on May 21, 1537 and, among other things, raised up the sick person with these words: "Be of good cheer and think that Christ Himself suffered much more for you than you can always suffer for His sake and yours". This writing is found in the Wittenbergische Theilen (Thl. XII, p. 168), in the Jenaische (Thl. VI, p. 529), in the Altenburgische (TH..VI, p. 1099) and in the Leipzigische (Thl. XXII, p. 532).
[De W. V, 64th ed. 55, 179th ed.]
5) "Trostschrift in Krankheit," to Friedrich Myconius, which is a very strange letter. Myconius, the first evangelical superintendent at Gotha, was ill and reported this to Luther in a letter, in which he used the very Christian expression, he was ill, but not to death, but to life. Luther answered him on the Sunday after Epiphany 1541 and testified to his joy that he was so confident and not afraid of death, but rather had "a desire to depart and be with Christ"; but he also added that he begged Jesus not to let him experience the misfortune that Myconius or some of their number would die sooner than he would. He desired and prayed that the dear God would let him become ill in Myconius' place and would call him to lay down this "his hut, which has now been worked out and served, has become consumed and powerless and is therefore unfit". He could see that he was no longer of use to anyone. At the end he added that the Lord should not let him hear, as long as he lived, that Mycolnüs had died. He asked this with earnestness and his will should be done. Precisely because this prayer was made in a firm trust in God, it was answered. Myconius not only got well, but also survived Luther, even if he soon succeeded him, namely on April 7, 1546. The two letters which Myconius had sent to Georg Rörer in 1546 in Latin and which were subsequently translated into German deserve to be read here. In the first, he reports that after he had been raised from death in 1541, as it were, by the strong and powerful prayer, by Luther's heartfelt and lively letter of consolation, he had lived in great weakness for six years since that time and had asked Luther in writing that he would not endure him any longer in this life through his prayer, but would speak a blessing over him and let him always pass away in peace; But because he received no answer to this, he asked Georg Rörer to ask Luther for the same and to make him grant his request. Not long after that, the other letter was written, namely on March 23, 1546, when Luther was already dead.
being. Among other things, he remembers that Justus Menius visited him and showed him how Luther's last sermons and his salutary speeches, which he had delivered over tables and otherwise, could be diligently collected and kept in safe custody so that they could be made known in print over time. At the same time, the almost miraculous and prophetic work that Luther had shown in him was not to be omitted, much less forgotten, since six years ago he had been attacked by consumption to such an extent that one could not have thought otherwise, because he would not live much longer, Luther had nevertheless, through his prayer to God, brought it about that he was still alive, Luther, on the other hand, as he demanded, had entered the realm of glory before him through a blessed farewell. He calls himself in the signature "Friedrich Myconius, the sick Lazarus in Bethania to the honor of the son of God". These two letters of Myconius are also commemorated by Melchior Adam in "Vitae theologorum", p. 88, and Seckendorf in "Histor. Luth.", libr. ΙΠ, § 93, p. 380. This letter is found in the Wittenbergische (Thl. XII, p. 170), Jenaische (Thl. VII, p. 473), Altenburgische (Thl. VII, p. 429) and Leipzigische Theilen (Thl. XXII, p. 534).
[De W. V, 326. 327 gives it in Latin, after which the German translation was also corrected. D. Red.]
6) "Consolation letter due to decrease of strength and annoyances", to an unnamed pastor, which was written on September 1, 1544. This letter is found in the following parts, as, in the Wittenbergische (Thl. XII, p. 175), in the Jenaische (Thl. VIII, p. 226), in the Altenburgische (Thl. VIII, p. 366) and in the Leipzigische (Thl. XXII, p. 541).
[De W. V, 683-685. ed. 56, 108-110.]
7) "Letter of comfort to his father, Hans Luther", which he wrote shortly before his father's end in 1530 and in which he strongly comforted him in his weakness and encouraged him to be joyful in death, and at the same time thought that he and his wife would be very happy if he and his mother could be taken to Wittenberg, where they would be
wanted to wait for him in the best way. Johann Aurifaber notes that in 1530 D. Martin Luther's father, Hans Luther, died at Mansfeld, to whom Dr. Martin from Coburg wrote a beautiful and wonderful letter of comfort a few days before his end. (Tischreden Luther's p. 494.) But since at the end of the letter, which we now have before us, it is expressly written: "at Wittenberg on February 15, Anno 1530", also Luther's father did not die a few days later, when he received the letter, but after a few months, namely May 29, 1530, so Aurifaber must either understand another letter or have made a mistake because of the time and the place. Luther's father did not die on June 29th, as it is generally believed, but on May 29th, 1530 at Mansfeld, which Dr. Joh. Friedr. Mayer proved in the disputation "De parentibus Lutheri" held at Greifswalde in 1708 from a letter of Veit Dietrich, also there the mentioned letter of Luther to his father, together with the one, which he sent to his mother. Christian Schlegel deals with it in "Initia reformationis Coburgensis" in "Vita Joannis Langeri", p. 115. Seckendorf calls this letter, which Luther wrote to his father, egregium verae pietatis et filialis amoris specimen (i.e.: a splendid example of true piety and filial love), in the "Histor. Lutheranismi," libr. Π, § 83, p. 213.
8) "Consolation Letter to his Mother Margaretha Luther," which Luther wrote shortly before her end on May 20, 1531, when he received the news from his brother that she was ill. In it, he tells her in particular that she should place her consolation solely in the cornerstone, Jesus Christ, who has overcome the world, Satan, sin and death, and exhorts her to sincerely thank God for bringing her out of the Papal darkness into the light of the Gospel.
Both of Luther's letters to his father and mother, which have now been touched upon, are in the Wittenberg (Thl. IX, p. 458. 468), Jena (Thl. V, p. 26 and 359), Altenburg (Thl. V, p. 11 and 587) and Leipzig (Thl. XXII, p. 511. 513) parts.
[De W. Ill, 550, and IV, 257. - Erl. ed. 54, 130-153, and 232-236.]
9) "Excerpt from a letter of the Elector John of Saxony to Luther about his illness", 1532, which Joh. Christfried Sagittarius, after he had received it from Caspar Bertram, Senior Pastor at Naumburg, first published in the Altenburg Collection (Thl. VIII, p. 979), whereupon it was also brought from there into the Leipzig Collection (Thl. XXII, p. 514), and because it was once in the parts in such a way, one did not want to leave it out here.
10) "Trostschrift an Churfürst Johann in seiner Krankheit," from March 28, 1532. It has been incorporated into the following collections of Luther's writings: the Wittenbergische (Thl. IX, p. 473), the Jenaische (Thl. V, p. 559), the Altenburgische (Thl. V, p. 960) and the Leipzigische (Thl. XXII, p. 515).
[De W. IV, 347. ed. 54, 279. 280.]
II) "Trostschrift in Leibesschwachheit," to Dr. Johann Rühel, June 29, 1534. It is 'also found in all collections, namely in the Wittenbergische (Thl. XII, p. 164), Jenaische (Thl. VI, p. 219), Altenburgische (Thl. VI, p. 258), Leipzigische (Thl. XXII, p. 523).
[De W. IV, 545. 546. Erl. ed. 55, 55-57.]
12) "Trostschrift in Krankheit" ("Letter of Comfort in Illness"), to Caspar Müller, Mansfeld Chancellor, because he had been ill and desired comfort from Luther, which he also strongly communicated to him in this letter, which was written on November 24, 1534. Compare Wittenbergische Sammlung (Thl. XII, p. 165), Jenaische (Thl. VI, p. 291), Altenburgische (Thl. VI, p. 334), Leipzigische (Thl. XXII, p. 526).
[De W. IV, 563-565. ed. 55, 67-69.]
13) "Trostschrift wegen Kleinmüthigkeit in Krankheit", to Elisabeth, Mag. Agricola's wife, June 10, 1527, in which the distress in which she found herself is not expressly remembered, but since it says that God wanted to strengthen her in the weakness of body and soul, it can be assumed that she was placed on the sickbed by God. This short letter was written by Joh. Aurifaber
first made known in the Eislebische Theilen (Thl. I, p. 415), from which it subsequently came into the Altenburgische (Thl. Ill, p. 756) and into the Leipzigische Sammlung (Thl. XXII, p. 498).
[De W. III, 182. ed. 53, 403. 404.]
14) "Five Writings of Comfort to Prince Joachim of Anhalt, in Spiritual and Physical Challenges," 1534. This prince fell into an illness, and since he was distressed about it, Luther wrote to him and said freely that God was right to come upon him with the rod and to accustom him to suffering. He should rejoice that he would one day be led to school by God. This is what Luther wrote in these five letters of May 23, 9, 18, 23 and 26 June 1534 and at last he promised to come again soon and to bring Dr. Pommer with him. These five letters (with the exception of the second of June 9) are found in the Wittenbergische Theilen (Thl. XII, p. 162) and in the Jenaische (Thl. VI, p. 178) and it is therefore surprising that Aurifaber brought the first of them into the Eislebische Sammlung (Thl. II, p. 499) and noted in the margin that it had not been printed before. In the meantime, the Eislebische print serves to show the name of the preacher, whose name Luther thinks of in this letter, namely Nicolaus Hausmann, since it has been omitted in the other parts. In addition to the Wittenberg and Jena collections, all five letters are also found in the Altenburg (Thl. VI, p. 217) and Leipzig (Thl. XXII, p. 522) collections. Johann Aurifaber edited the second letter along with other consolation letters in Magdeburg in 1550, after which it was reprinted in the Altenburgische Theilen (Thl. VI, p. 180) and in the Leipzigische (Thl. XXII, p. 521).
[Cf. De W. IV, 536 f. 539. 540-544. Erl. ed. 55, 48 f. 50-55.]
§ LVIII.
If these consolation writings now touched upon were addressed to sick and weak persons, there now follow some in which Luther gives others
They were consoled by their poverty and the loss of their temporal goods:
15) "Trostschrift bei Verlust an Vermögen," from May 23, 1542, which is found in the Wittenberg (Thl. XII, p. 171), Jena (Thl. VIII, p. 53), Altenburg (Thl. VHI, p. 66) and Leipzig (Thl. XXII, p. 537) parts.
M W. V, 473. ed. Ausg. 56, 25. 26.]
16) Consolation letter, "Daß anererbte Schulden als ein Kreuz williglich zu tragen seien," to Joseph Levin Metzsch zu Mila, dated March 12, 1520. This letter was first printed in the "Unschuldige Nachrichten" 1713, p. 343, from which it was subsequently brought into the Supplement of the Leipzig Collection, p. 30.
[De W. I, 426. ed. 53, 34. 35.]
17) "Tröstliches Büchlein in aller Widerwärtigkeit eines jeglichen christgläubigen Menschen" (Little book of consolation in all distress of every Christian believer), which Luther wrote in Latin for the Elector Frederick of Saxony and, in addition to the preface, added a special dedication. It was published under the title: Tessaradecas consolatoria pro laborantibus et oneratis Martini Luth. Au- gust. Wittebergensis" at Wittenberg and Leipzig 1520 in quarto. See von der Hardt's "Autographa Luth.", tom. II, p. 68. 69 and Olearius' Verzeichniß der "Autographa Luth.", p. 6.' It was at the same time translated into the German language by Georg Spalatin, who had just before advised Luther to make it. In this it appeared with the following inscription: "Ein tröstlich Büchlein D. Martini Lutheri August. in aller Widerwärtigkeit eines jedem christgläubigen Menschen, neulich gedeutscht durch Mag. Georg Spalatin" also came to light in 1520. After these special editions, this booklet was also reprinted at the same time as Luther's other writings and came into both the Latin and German collections of the same. Compare tom. I, p. 444 of the Latin Jena and tom. II, p. 13 of the Latin Wittenbergische Theile. The dedication to the Elector is found in Aurif, Epist, tom. I, p. 242. In German, the writing is in the Wittenbergische (Thl. VI, p. 346), the Altenburgische (Thl. I, p. 368) and the Leipzigische (Thl. XXII, p. 473) collections.
[The booklet presents in fourteen chapters (hence the name Tessaradecas -- Fourteen-Chapter Scripture) seven human evils and seven human good things of faith from the Holy Scriptures. In a letter to the bishop of Basel in 1523, Erasmus was well aware of it and confessed that even those who otherwise found Luther's teachings most repugnant had praised this booklet. It is this lib. XXI, epist. 8, happened. His own words are these: Mitto celsitudini tuae libellum Lutheri de quatuordecim spqctris, qui magnopere probatus est, etiam ab his, qui doctrinam illius omnibus modis aversantur. Scripsit enim hunc, priusquam res ad hanc rabiem est progressa (i.e.: "I send to Your Episcopal Grace Luther's booklet of the fourteen figurative ideas, which has been exceedingly approved even by those who are thoroughly averse to his doctrine; for he wrote the same even before the time when this matter has come to such a frenzy"). He adds: Utinam vir ille sic amicorum monitis potuisset ad moderationem revocari, quemadmodum quorumdam odiis efferari (i.e.: "Oh that this man could have been brought to moderation by the coaxing of friends, when he was embittered and stirred up by the hostilities of certain people"). However, Seckendorf in ,,Histor. Luth.", lib. I, § 63, p. 93, rightly adds: non erat is ecclesiae morbus, qui emplastris Erasmi curari posset (i.e.: "The illness of the church was not such that it could have been cured by Erasmus' plasters"). Luther himself commemorated this of his tract fin several letters. On September 22, 1519, he asked Spalatin to translate it freely into German (Aurif., Epist., tom. Π, p. 3. De W. 29. I, 336). On December 18, 1519, he informed him that the manuscript would be printed in both languages at the same time (Aurif. I, p. 223. De W. 29. I, 378). On February 9, 1520, he writes to Spalatin: Tessaradecadis frontalis epistola omissa est, magna libelli deformitate et mea indignatione: absente me prior sexternio excusus est (i.e., "The dedication writing is forgotten in the consolation booklet").
The first six chapters had already been printed during my absence, to the great disfigurement of the booklet and to my chagrin. The German translation will also be completed soon"). sXuril., Lp., tom. I, p. 240. De W. I, 407.] Since the scripture was printed in Latin, the letter of dedication was accidentally omitted at the beginning and was added at the end, which is why it appears last in the Latin parts. Luther was not satisfied with this and testified his displeasure about it in the passage quoted. He mentions the German translation in another letter to Spalatin of February 11, 1520, and sends it to him, since it was ready for printing, with these words: Ecce tessaradecada tuam: immo nostram, mi Spa- latine (i.e.: "See here, my dear Spalatin, your or rather our little comfort book") (Aurif., Epist., tom. I, p. 244. De W. I, 408). Add Fabricius in "Centi- fol. Lutheran.", p. 314.
[De W. I, 409. 412. Erl. Ed. 53, 31-34. opp. lat. var. arg. The Erlangen edition cites three Latin editions from 1520, two from 1521, two from 1535, two German editions from 1520, one from 1522. We give the Spalatin and the literal translation next to each other, since the former differs greatly from the Latin original and is in itself difficult to understand. In addition, the new translation is accompanied by the short preface that Luther included in a later edition of this work, which he himself edited and corrected. D. Red.]
§ LIX.
Likewise, here are the comforting writings that Luther composed for those who were persecuted for the Gospel.
18) "Letter of Comfort to the Christians of Augsburg," which was written on December 11, 1523, on the occasion that some of those who had recognized and accepted the evangelical truth in Augsburg had been arrested because of a marriage of a priest in man.
The word of divine comfort had to be placed on their hearts to calm and uplift them. Luther did just that here and admonished the persecuted in Augsburg not to give up the truth they had once recognized, and to consider that Jesus' kingdom was a kingdom of the cross, and if we wanted to reign with him, we would first have to suffer with him. After this letter came out in quarto especially at Wittenberg in the said year 1523 and 1524, it was then brought into the collections of Luther's writings and published not only in German, namely in the Wittenbergische Theilen (Thl. VI, p. 373), the Jenaischen (Thl. II, p. 276), the Altenburgischen (Thl. II, p. 366) and Leipzigischen (Thl. XVIII, p. 493), but also in Latin (tom. VII, p. 483 of the Wittenbergische Theile and Aurif., Epist., tom. Π, p. 172).
[De W. II, 440-443. Erl. ed. 53, 223-227.]
19) "Letter of comfort because of persecution for the sake of the Gospel" to the congregation of Penza, which was persecuted because of the Gospel and therefore was comforted by Luther and encouraged to persevere, which happened in 1546. This letter was first published by Joh. Christfried Sagittarius and included in the Altenburg collection (Thl. IX, p. 1590), from which it was transferred to the Leipzig collection (Thl. XXII, p. 578).
[De W. V, 799-801. Erl. ed. 56, 163-165.]
20) Letter "To the Christians of Zwickau, concerning their conduct among false brethren," in which Luther advises them to be quiet, to stick to the accepted doctrine, to stick to their faithful preachers, and to wait to see what the prince will do in the matter of their pastor; but what kind of matter this actually was is not indicated.
sAs can be seen from the context, the well-known dispute is meant here, in which the council of Zwickau removed one preacher without the involvement of pastor Hausmann and appointed another, whereupon Hausmann, on Luther's advice, appeared publicly before the council.
and in the pulpit declared the new preacher to be an intruded thief and would have to consider himself hindered in his office as long as this illegal octroying of a foreign preacher would continue. Cf. letters No. 4, 7, II under 2. a. of the 1st request. D. Red.]
The letter itself was written on June 21, 1531. This letter can be found in the following collections of Luther's writings: the Wittenberg (Thl. IX, p. 469), Jena (Thl. V, p. 361), Altenburg (Thl. V, p. 589) and Leipzig (Thl. XXII, p. 374).
[De W. IV, 265. ed. 54, 236. 237.]
21) "Letter of comfort in captivity for the sake of the Gospel", to Lampert Thorn, which is a particularly strange letter. For the one to whom it was addressed is one of those who were burned in Brussels because of the evangelical doctrine, after a harsh persecution against the confessors of the evangelical truth arose in the Netherlands in 1523, and for this purpose primarily the papal nuncio, Hieronymus Oleander, together with Nicolaus Egmondan, a Carmelite, and Jakob Hogstraten, a Dominican, also other monks of Louvain and Mechelen, contributed to this and promoted the cruel procedure by the appointed Inquisition. On July 1, two Augustinian monks from the Augustinian monastery in Antwerp, named Heinrich Voes and Johann Esch, were publicly burned in Brussels, since they had not been persuaded to recant either by the long and severe imprisonment or in any other way. Luther remembers these martyrs in the letter of which I am now speaking, and says: "Christ strengthens you not only inwardly by his Spirit in your bodily tribulations; but also by the true salutary example of the two brothers, Heinrich and Johannes, who were burned at Brussels in 1523 on account of their constant confession of divine truth." In Aurif, Epistolae Lutheri, tom. Π, p. 142, there is a twofold Latin message of their martyrdom, of which the first and detailed one is also in Rab's "Martyrs' Book," Thl. II, p. 336. One sees from it, how
joyfully they took on their torture and how steadfastly they endured it. They sang in the fire the hymn "Lord God, we praise you" as long as they could speak. The points for which they were condemned are enclosed. Another, and indeed German, account of all three is found in the Eislebische Theilen (Thl. I, p. 146) and in the Altenburgische (Thl. II, p. 352), whereby one can at the same time read what Seckendorf says in "Historia Luth.", lib. I, § 158, p. 279, has noted. To this came as the third martyr Lampert, to whom just Luther wrote the more mentioned letter and reports from him that he was also burned on the fourth day. For after he had thought of the two previously mentioned in a letter to Spalatin, he adds: Quarta post exustus est tertius frater Lampertus, successor in verbo lacobi nostri praepositi. Facta est haec res Bruxellae in publico foro (i.e.: "On the fourth day thereafter, the third brother, Lampert, became the successor in the word of our Provost Jacob. This happened at Brussels in the public marketplace"), Aurif., Epistolae, tom. II, p. 148. But since this letter was written in 1523 and the one he sent to Lampert Thorn in January 1525, it is difficult to see how he could have written to him as a prisoner in the latter, since according to the former he was supposed to have been burned already in 1523? This much is certain, that the Lampert, to whom he wrote here, is exactly the one who was burned in Brussels, which can be seen sufficiently from the epistle itself. There is also no doubt that the burning of the other two took place in Brussels in 1523, and because it is credible that such a blood sentence was pronounced and executed on Lampert around the same time, it can therefore be concluded that the date of Luther's letter to him must be incorrect. But this does not solve all difficulties. There are still some circumstances in both letters, if one holds them against each other, which are not well connected, and it might also be difficult to make an exact and correct comparison, unless one wanted to say that Luther had indeed heard that Lampert was called the fourth day of his death.
He wrote this to Spalatin in the epistle mentioned above; but this had no reason, and since Lampert became a martyr only after that time, it could well have happened that Luther wrote to him, as a prisoner, in 1524 and thought of the death of the other two. Thus the date would have its correctness and it would depend on the time at which Lampertus gave his life for the Protestant religion. Some have wanted to pretend that Lampert was killed secretly in prison. However, it is considered more credible that he was burned, as Emser in his "Notes on Luther's New Testament" states as a glorious deed that three were brought to Brussels by the flame from life to death for the sake of Luther's teachings. Luther held these martyrs high and composed a song about them, which begins: "Ein neues Lied wir heben an" ("A new song we raise up") and can be read in this part, p. 1434, as he also congratulates the brethren in Holland, Brabant and Flanders in a special letter, that God chose among them the first martyrs of this time. The letter itself to Lampertus is in Latin tom. VII. Viteberg. p. 485 and Aurif., Epist. Luth, tom. II, p. 181, and German in the Eislebische Theilen, Thl. I, p. 184, where it is noted in the margin that it was previously printed in the "Trostschriften D. M." at Jena, and in the Altenburgische Theilen (Thl. II, p. 514), also printed in the Leipzigische (Thl. XIX, p. 323).
[De W. II, 465-466. Erl. The most probable is that Lampert Thorn, according to the report of Erasmus, Ep. 1060, was suffocated in the dungeon soon after the martyrdom of his two friends, after he remained steadfast until the end, and that therefore Luther's letter did not come into his hands. See Rudelbach, Biographies of Witnesses of the Christian Church, p. 269. Köstlin (Martin Lutheri, 642. 804) leaves Lampert's end uncertain. D. Red.]
22) "Two letters of comfort in sorrow because of the imprisonment of a spouse", to Hieronymus Baumgärtner's spouse, both letters prompted by the misfortune in which Hieronymus Baumgärtner, a Nurem-
bergischer Rathsherr, gerieth. For when he was on a journey, Johann Thomas von Rosenberg, a powerful and at the same time restless nobleman in Franconia, took him prisoner because of old enmity against the Nurembergers, which still came from the Swabian League, and released him only after a year, after the Nurembergers had come to terms with him. Because of this coincidence, Luther wrote to Baumgärtner's wife in 1544 and comforted her with the assurance that all pious hearts prayed ardently for her husband and that such prayer was certainly pleasant before God. The first of these letters is found in the Wittenbergische Theilen (Thl. XII, p. 173), in the Jenaische (Thl. VIII, p. 202), in the Altenburgische (Thl. VIII, p. 355) and in the Leipzigische (Thl. XXII, p. 539). Here one has used the original copy. Of Hieronymus Baumgärtner and his imprisonment are Melchior Adam in ,,Vitae jureconsult.", p. 78, and Seckendorf in ,,Histor. Luth.", lib. IU, § 118, p. 517. He was a good friend of Luther and Melanchthon.
[De W. V, 672 f. Erl. ed. 56, 105 to 107. 64, 312. 313.]
These comforting writings, which I have just thought of, are accompanied by those in which Luther gave comfort to others when they were sent into misery and driven away because of the Gospel.
23) "Letter of Comfort to Three Court Maidens Expelled from Freiberg for the Gospel's Sake," June 18, 1523. Duke Heinrich, who resided at Freiberg, chased these ladies away from the court because they had read Luther's books, and although he had already taken a liking to Luther, he did so out of fear of his brother, Duke Georg. Luther consoles them here. The letter was printed under the title: "Ein Sendbrief Dr. Martin Luther's an die drei Hofjungfrauen Hanna von Draschwitz, Milia von Olßnitz und Ursula von Feilitz, die aus dem Frauen-Zimmer zu Freiberg um des Evangeliums willen vertrieben sind", at Wittenberg 1523 in quarto and reprinted. See von der Hardt's "Autographa
Luth.", tom. I, p. 152, and Olearius' Verzeichniß der "Autographa Luth.", p. 19. Thereupon it was brought into the German collections of Luther's writings. This letter is found in the Wittenbergische Theilen (Thl. IX, p. 177), in the Jenaische (Thl. II, p. 2.69), in the Altenburgische (Thl. II, p. 352) and in the Leipzigische (Thl. XVlll, p. 494). The same is also translated into Latin, (tom. VII, p. 492 of the Wittenbergische Theile and in Aurif. Luth., tom. II, p. 137). Seckendorf commemorates this letter in ,,Histor. Luth.", lib. I, § 157, p. 278. In the present reprint, however, the first edition now cited has been used.
[De W. II, 347 f. Erl. ed. 53,172-174.]
24) "Letter of comfort to the people of Leipzig who are oppressed for the sake of the Gospel. This is what it is all about. In 1532 Duke George persecuted the Lutherans in Leipzig to such an extent that they were expelled from the city with their wives and children. Most of them went to the nearby electoral territory, but because they thought they could still obtain mercy and permission from their duke to return, they drew up a supplement and communicated it to Luther beforehand. He read it through and gave the answer to it on October 4 in the letter mentioned. Jeremias Weber in the "Evangelical Leipzig", p. 53 ff., and Dr. Carl Gottlob Hofmann in the "Detailed Reformation History of the City and University of Leipzig", p. 204 ff., which also includes Luther's letter; Schneider's and Heidenreich's in the "Leipzig Chronicles", and Vogel's in the "Leipzig History Book" are not to be forgotten. Among other things, Luther writes: "I ask you to give the mad head only good words and not to forgive anything, as you are doing now in this Supplication. If it helps, it helps: if it does not help, it does not hurt; yes, promote yourselves before God, who will soon find the devil and his own." One finds this letter in the collections of Luther's writings: in the Wittenberg (Thl. IX, p. 476), Jena (Thl. V, p. 563), Altenburg (Thl.V, p. 984) and Leipzig (Thl. XX, p. 362).
[De W. IV, 405. Erl. Ed. 54, 331. 332.
Furthermore: Erl. In this second place, the text is reproduced according to the original found only in 1883. The latter has also been taken as a basis for the present printing. According to this - apart from the many incorrect readings (e.g. Holy Spirit instead of Duke George) - Walch's account is also wrong, as if the Leipzigers in question had already been expelled; rather, it is clear from the form of address, as well as from the entire context of the letter, that they had only been threatened with expulsion or perhaps it had already been scheduled for a certain day; hence also the petition to reverse this resolution. D. Red.]
25) "Letter of consolation to the same Leipzigers after their expulsion", which Luther sent to them in 1533, after the persecution started by order of the said Duke George in the previous year was continued with much vehemence against those who had recognized and accepted the Protestant doctrine in Leipzig, so that many had to leave the city around Pentecost. Apart from the briefly mentioned above, Hofmann deals with this in "Reformation History of the City and University of Leipzig", p. 211 f., who also reports Luther's letter, which is mentioned here, p. 240. The letter that Luther sent to comfort these poor people is long and the harsh language was well deserved by Duke George, the persecutor of truth. Seckendorf, in ,,Hist. Luth.", lib. ΙΠ, § 21, p. 55, made an extract from this letter. The letter came with the inscription "Responsibility of the imposed sedition of Duke George, sammt ein Trostbrief an die Christen, von ihm aus Leipzig unschuldig verjagt. D. Martin Luther" at Wittenberg in 1533 in quarto (see von der Hardt's ,,Autogr. Luth.", tom. I, p. 295, and Olearius' Verzeichniß der ,,Autographa Luth.", p. 35), whereupon it was reprinted in the parts of Luther's writings, namely in the Wittenbergische (Thl. XII, p. 245), in the Jenaische (Thl. VI, p. 8), in the Altenburgische (Thl. VI, p. 9) and in the Leipzigische (Thl. XXI, p. 10) and here according to the first edition now cited.
[Erl. ed. 31, 243-269. ]
26) "Letter of comfort to the Christians chased out of Oschatz", which Luther wrote on January 20, 1533. Such letter is found in the Wittenbergische Theilen (Thl. XII, p. 161), in the Jenaische (Thl. VI, p. 121), in the Altenburgische (Thl. VI, p. I) and in the Leipzigische (Thl. XXI, p. 2).
[De W. IV, 433 f. Erl. ed. 55:1-3.]
27) "Consolation writing for the Christians of Mittweide who were chased away for the sake of the Gospel," Luther sent to Anton Lauterbach, preacher at Leisnig, on June 27, 1535, for those whom Duke Georg also chased away from Mittweide for the sake of the Gospel. Right at the beginning he says he almost does not know what to write to comfort the good people. His consolation would have done more harm than good to the exiled Leipzigers. He worries that it might also happen here if what he wrote became known and got out. In the meantime, he clearly indicates in the conclusion that he is not afraid of Duke George. For he concludes this letter as follows: "I would not mind writing even worse about H. G. at the same time. For he should know that I do not ask anything about his great head and that I am rightly always sitting and waiting for him. Hereby God commanded." This letter is found in the Wittenbergische Theilen (Thl. XII, p. 267), in the Jenaische (Thl. VI, p. 349), in the Altenburgische (Thl. IV, p. 487) and in the Leipzigische (Thl. XXI, p. 90).
[De W. IV, 597. ed. 55, 94. 95.]
§ LXI.
These consolation writings were immediately linked to those that Luther made at the death of righteous teachers and confessors of Christ:
28) Consolation pamphlet "To the Christians of Halle about the murder of their preacher, Mag. This Mag. Georg Winckler, who was born in Bischofswerda in Meissen, was one of the first evangelical teachers in Halle in Saxony, preached after Luther's example against the rebellious peasants and predicted their miserable end. When he continued,
To present the recognized truth of the gospel and to distribute the Lord's Supper in both forms, he was not only summoned to Aschaffenburg by the Elector Albrecht of Mainz, who was at the same time Archbishop of Magdeburg, but also by his capitulars or canons, in order to give an account of his teaching. He appeared willingly and gladly, gave an account of his doctrine and his preaching ministry, and after this was done, he was told that he could travel home again in peace, but at the same time he made arrangements for the gruesome act of murder that was committed against him on his return journey in the following manner. A certain servant was given to him to accompany him or rather to lead him as the cruel and bloodthirsty attack entailed. When they came in the forest two miles from Aschaffenburg, some horsemen attacked him and killed him in a miserable way. It is said that no investigation was ever made against the murderers, so that the Mainz canons were considered to be the authors of the murder, although others assured that Conrad Hofmann, a canon of Halle, was not only the most distinguished author, but also the murderer himself, who subsequently perished miserably. News of this sad event can be found in Christian Heckel's "Historischer. Beschreibung der Stadt Bischofswerda", p. 127; in Seckendorf's "Historia Lutheranismi", libr. Π, § 31, p. 83, and in the preface of the edition of the "Trostbrief Luther's an die Christen zu Halle" (Luther's letter of comfort to the Christians in Halle), published in Halle in 1727, which I will commemorate hereafter with more. Whatever the case may be, the blessed Luther endeavored to raise up the Protestant community in Halle, which had been depressed by this most sad case, and wrote the aforementioned letter of consolation to them in 1527, the year in which this assassination was committed, He added a "Brief Report on the Two Forms of the Holy Sacrament Instituted by Christ," because the great hatred against this Protestant martyr arose primarily from the fact that he administered the Lord's Supper in both forms. The scripture is very spiritual and consoling and deserves above others
to be read and considered with all attention. It appeared under the title: "Tröstung an die Christen zu Halle, über Ehr Georgen, ihres Predigers, Tod. Martin Luther," at Wittenberg in 1527 in quarto. This first edition has been used for the present printing. It is found in von der Hardt's "Autographa Luth.", tom. I, p. 236, and in Olearius Verzeichniß der "Auto- grapha Luth.", p. 27. Later, it is included in the Wittenbergische (Thl. VI, p. 374), Jenaische (Thl. Ill, p. 367), Altenburgische (Thl. Ill, p. 741) and Leipzigische (Thl. XIX, p. 567) parts of Luther's writings. Furthermore, it is, as already mentioned, at Halle especially with the inscription "Martini Lutheri lehrreicher Trostbrief an die Christen zu Halle, als einer ihrer ersten evangelischen Lehrer, Mag. Georg Winckler, meuchelmörderischer Weise Anno 1527 ermordet worden war", with a preface auf's neu bekannt gemacht durch Mag. G. L. and on request with an extract of two of Luther's sermons held in Halle was handed over for printing by Johann Jakob Rambach in 1727 in octavo. The well-known Joh. Cochläus wanted to take offense at such a writing of Luther's and wrote an apology for the canons, in which he tried to excuse them to the best of his ability and to make the people believe that the preacher Winckler had been murdered by some noblemen who were annoyed that he had married an old rich person from their friendship. This apologia came under the title: "To Martin Luther's Schandbüchlein, an die Christen von Halle geschrieben, Antwort. Joh. Cochläus, Dr." in 1528 in quarto. He presents the matter in the same way in the "Commentar, de actis et scriptis Lutheri", p. 163.
[The Erlanger Ausg., 22, 294-316, cit. four editions from the year 1527. D. Red.]
29) "Letter to Dr. Johann Rühel, concerning the above-mentioned letter of consolation to the Christians of Halle," August 26, 1527. It can be seen from this that Dr. Rühel advised him to spare the Elector of Mainz in the above-mentioned letter of consolation, which he promises to do here, but he adds: "If it is not done so that such murder and land peace can possibly be punished and excused, then the Christians of Halle will be punished and excused.
How can a human heart regard either the priests or the bishops as pure, because they are silent about it?" and finally says that he wants to write in this matter in such a way that he does not weave himself into guilt with hypocrisy. This letter is found in the Eislebische Theilen (Thl. I, p. 415), in the Altenburgische (Thl. Ill, p. 777) and in the Leipzigische (Thl. XIX, p. 576).
[De W. Ill, 196th ed. 53, 407.]
30) "Letter of consolation to Prince George of Anhalt on the death of George Held Forchheim", whom Luther praises as a teacher who loved Jesus dearly, prayed diligently and served the church faithfully, and greatly regrets his passing. The letter was written on March 9, 1545. One finds this letter in the Wittenbergische Theilen (Thl. XII, p. 176), in the Jenaischen (Thl. VIII, p. 297), in the Altenburgischen (Thl. VIII, p. 414) and in the Leipzigischen (Thl. XXII, p. 543).
§ LXII.
The writings that follow immediately and that are encountered here are:
31) "Sermon von Bereitung zum Sterben," published in quarto at Wittenberg in 1519 and 1522. These two editions are listed in von der Hardt's "Autographa Luth.", tom. I, p. 131, and tom. II, p. 59, and in Olearius' Verzeichniß der ,,Autographa Luth.", p. 5. This sermon is found both in the German parts of Luther's writings, namely in the Wittenbergische (Thl. VI, p. 145), in the Jenaische (Thl. I, p. 180), in the Altenburgische (Thl. I, p. 304) and in the Leipzigische (Thl. XXll, p. 145), as well as in the Latin ones (Witeberg. tom. I, p. 85, Jenens. tom. I, p. 354), so that some small passages concerning the invocation of the saints have been omitted, which has also been done in the present printing; otherwise, however, a comparison has been made with the edition of 1522.
[The sermon was written and published in German, but translated into Latin already in the same year 1519. The
long edition gives the German text (vol. 21, 253-274) according to the first edition of 1519 and citirt 14 editions, the Latin text vol. 3, 453-473. We have retained the edition of 1522 used by Walch and added the more important variants of the first edition of 1519 in notes.
D. Red.]
32) "A letter on the question: whether someone who has died without faith can be saved?" to Hans von Rechenberg in Freistadt, which actually examines whether a person can be saved from hell and still be granted eternal bliss, which Luther denies and proves that if one has died without faith, then no bliss can be expected. The letter was written in 1522 and printed in quarto in the same year as well as in 1523 in Wittenberg, but later added to the collections. This writing is found in the Wittenbergische Theilen (Thl. VI, p. 405), in the Jenaische (Thl. II, p. 248), in the Altenburgische (Thl. II, p. 349) and in the Leipzigische (Thl. XXII, p. 303). From this it is clear that one was mistaken in the "Sammlung von alten und neuen theologischen Sachen", when there, year 1728, p. 1017, this letter was inserted and p. 1024 reported, that one could not find it in any part of Luther's writings, which Fabricius already reminded in "Centifol.
[The Erlanger Ausgabe, Vol. 22, 32-38, cites four editions from the two years 1522 and 1523 and has used the third of these (from 1523), with which we have compared Walch's text. D. Red.]
33) "Trostschrift wider die Anfechtung des Todes," to Johann Mantel, Kirchendiener zu Wittenberg, November 10, 1539. This is found in the Wittenbergische Theilen (Thl. XII, p. 169), in the Jenaische (Thl. VII, p. 383), in the Altenburgische (Thl. VII, p. 400) and in the Leipzigische (Thl. XII, p. 533).
[De W. V, 222-224. Erl. ed. vol. 55, 250-252.]
34) Answer to the question, "Whether one may flee from dying?" 1527, which was addressed to
Dr. Johann Heß, preacher in Breslau, and his co-workers on the gospel. Luther shows here that it is possible to flee or otherwise escape death in the course of dying, but that this must not be done by denying the divine word and disregarding the duty that one has on himself by virtue of his office as a preacher or as a person in authority. He also stated that no neighbor should leave the other in the lurch and flee if the latter is without help. A "short instruction on how one should also send oneself in dying runs for the sake of the soul" is attached. Luther himself sent the document to print and right at the beginning he gave the reason why he did so, saying: "Since there is more crying about dying here and elsewhere, we have let it go out by printing it, whether perhaps others would also desire and need such instruction from us. The writing appeared with the title: "Ob man für dem Sterben fliege möge? Martin Luther" at Wittenberg 1527 in quarto to the light. See von der Hardt's "Autographa Luth.", tom. I, p. 236, and Olearius' Verzeichniß der "Autogr. Luth.", p. 27. It was then brought into the Wittenbergischen (Thl. VI, p. 408), Jenaischen (Thl. Ill, p. 426), Altenburgischen (Thl. Ill, p. 761) and Leipzigischen (Thl. XXll, p. 331) parts of Luther's writings.
[Luther kept to the advice he gave to others and remained in Wittenberg during the plague of 1527 with the pastor Dr. Pommeranus and two companions, although the university had been moved to Jena. The Erlangen edition, vol. 22, 317-341, cites six editions from the year 1527. D. Red.]
35) Transcript of an excerpt from a sermon that the citizens should not flee because of the plague, from the year 1539. Among other things, Luther says that one should not be frightened by the cries of the pestilence, nor do the devil love that one wants to flee, even if the pestilence comes into the house, into the bed, cradle and at the table. Where there are wives, brothers, children, sisters, neighbors, one should stay together and help the other. Johann Christfried Sagittarius wrote this
The first time this excerpt was published in the Altenburgische Theilen (Thl. VIII, p. 993), it was noted that he had received it from Dr. Caspar Bertram, senior pastor in Naumburg, and also, as it seems, not without reason, that the excipient might have interspersed Latin, because Luther made very little use of Latin in his preaching. From the Altenburg collection, this writing was also brought into the Leipzig collection (Thl. XXII, p. 389). Add what Seckendorf wrote in ,,Histor. Lutheranismi," lib. ΙΠ, § 77, p. 253.
[Cf. Erl. ed. 64, 313-316.]