I. Letter of 23 May 1534.
To the Serene, Highborn Prince and Lord, Herm Joachim, Prince of Anhalt, Count of Ascania and Lord of Bernburg etc., my gracious Lord, grace and peace in Christ!
Sublime, highborn prince, gracious sir! Although I have nothing special to write to E. F. G., because the good man, E. F. G. preacher, Magister Nicolaus Hausmann, always persists, I will not refrain from doing so, because he is eager to strengthen E. F. G. in the work he has undertaken (namely the Reformation); for it is also necessary. Although it is great, he who has called us to this through his holy word, who always encourages and drives us with inward comfort, is even greater. For this reason we may boast and boast that we do not do our own thing or our own word, as St. Paul also boasts, Rom. 15, 17, that he does God's work. For such a calling and demanding of God is our highest comfort.
Christ was also at first a mustard seed, smaller than a cabbage seed, but at last he became a bush, so that even the birds could sit on his branches. All this happened that the little Christ became so great that even great emperors, kings and princes sat down and remained in his assemblies and members.
The same Christ also still lives and reigns, and is called his title: Scheblemini,hoc est. Sede a dextris meis (Sheb limini - the Hebrew words for: Sit at my right hand), Ps. 110, 1., and leads dug in his impromptu: Ponam inimicos tuos scabellum pedum tuorum (I will lay your enemies to the footstool of your feet), and on top of his diadem, v. 4.: Tu es Sacerdos in aeternum
(You are a priest forever).
To the same Lord, who alone is all-powerful in weakness and wise in foolishness, I commend E. F. G. Amen.
On the evening of Pentecost. Anno 1534.
H. Letter dated June 9, 1534.
Grace and peace. Gracious Prince and Lord! I hereby send you again what I have brought with me, and I thank you most diligently. On the way, I have diligently and without interruption thought of almost E. F. G., and have also prayed my Our Father several times. M. Philip showed me how F. G. had not been particularly ill until then. Then I said, "It is no wonder that F.F.G. is easily worried, because F.F.G. is not used to it. But God is right that He also wants to accustom F. F. G. to suffering now. Therefore, let E. F. G. be happy, because God will also lead her into school one day and she will learn to be a good
Shilling to suffer. He will let the rod be a rod and not make an executioner's sword out of it, so that E.F.G. may suffer even more rods from now on. Well, my gracious lord and prince, be happy and remember that other brothers, as St. Peter says, also suffer and perhaps even more than we do. But Christ says: Ego vivo et vos vivetis (I live and you also shall live). When I have fed my printer a little, I will come back and bring the D. Pomeranus with me, he has promised me today. And herewith happily commanded to God. Tuesday after Corporis Christi (Corpus Christi) 1534.
III Letter of June 18, 1534.
Grace and peace in the heart, and also comfort and strength in the body from Christ Jesus, our dear Lord and comforting Savior. Gracious Prince and Lord, because now Magister Nicolaus Hausmann is going to E. F. G. again to show himself in a pleasing way, I did not want him to come without my writing, even if I had nothing to write, but bonum mans (good morning) or good evening. For I have good hope, even if it disappears, that things will get better.
I still pray my poor Pater-noster firmly, but I think how I myself have also been quite weak, and that often sometimes longer, sometimes shorter; nevertheless I have been helped, and more than I have asked.
Let this be said of spiritual consolation, without which outward consolation is little, unless it be done to awaken spiritual consolation, as Elisha was awakened by his Psalter, 2 Kings 3:15, and
David in the Psalter himself says, Ps. 57, 9., his harp is his glory and joy: Exsurge gloria mea, exsurge psalterium et cithara (Wake up, my glory; wake up, psaltery and harp), and all the saints make themselves merry with psalms and string playing.
I prefer that Magister Nicolaus Hausmann comes to E. F. G., who can please E. F. G. in a Christian and honorable way with speeches, songs and all manner of things - as a moral, capable person. For this I wish and ask E. F. G. happiness and salvation, so that it may serve for health and for the chasing away of the challenger, amen.
So I will come myself, hoc est certum (that is certain), I will die or lie down, if I can first tear myself away from the horse's collar, bridle, saddle and spur. Hereby E. F. G. GOtt commanded, Amen. On Thursday after Viti 1534.
IV Letter of June 23, 1534.
To the hand of my gracious prince and lord, Lord Joachim, Prince of Anhalt etc., hastily written, as a supplication from a poor comforter and paracleto poem, until God gives it better, Amen.
Grace and peace, which is the right joy and comfort in Christ. Gracious Prince
And Lord, this does not have to mean a small or minor good that F.G. has not yet let go of the fever and such temptation, since we must be sure that our prayer is pleasing and heard by God, as true as He is in His promise, in which we trust and ask.
But I think he is doing to E.F.G. what he did to the children of Israel in Egypt, and will now keep silent about others and about myself, namely, since he boasts against Moses in the bush, Ex. 3:7, that he heard the cries of the children of Israel and wanted to deliver them; that Moses and the children of Israel might well have thought that he would do this tomorrow. But when he began to help, it was worse than before, and they were so afflicted that they repented of what they had prayed and believed before, and began to despair of deliverance. Moreover many plagues came upon Pharaoh, but it did not help, and they were always imprisoned and afflicted until the time came when salvation was more glorious than they had desired, and their enemies were drowned in the Red Sea. For St. Paul also says, Eph. 3:20: "If our prayer is acceptable, God is willing to do more and more than we can understand and desire.
Therefore he attacks it in such a way that it seems to us that he wants to make it evil, so that we may learn, as the apostle says, Rom. 8:26, "That we truly do not know how we should ask"; but he, as a faithful father, knows and sees well how we should ask, and does as he knows and not as we ask.
A father must also do and not give to his child as the child asks,
but how he knows that his child should ask; although the child cries about it, that does no harm; his request is therefore not the more unpleasant with the father, whether the father does not do it the same way or in the way the child wants or asks. Thus a physician often does not have to do as, what, when, where the sick person wants, and yet he loves the sick person and thinks to help him faithfully, does not resent the sick person's desire and request, and is therefore not the more unfavorable to him.
So, I think, our Lord E. F. G. will now also tractiren that he has it better in mind with E. F. G. and wants to help more gloriously than we ask now, and lets our request please him, of that I have no doubt. For such a request is his command, yes, also his own work in us, that it must please him.
But I hope that he wants to heal more and something greater from the fever than E.F.G. does as a single person; therefore, E.F.G. may rest assured, Christ is ours, yes, in all ways ours, as we desire him; whether he is different from reason, that does no harm. God willing, I will soon be with E. F. G., if I have fed my plager a little, and stay with her for eight days; if it can be longer, I will do it too. Christ, our Lord, is Himself with E. F. G., that is true, whom I hereby entrust to His grace and protection. On St. John's Eve, Anno 1534.
V. Letter dated June 26, 1534.
Grace and peace in Christ, Serene Prince, Gracious Lord! Magister Nicolaus Hausmann has indicated to me how E. F. G. has been somewhat weak, but has now, praise God, become fit again.
However, it often occurs to me how E. F. G.'s entire tribe has led an almost unaffected, quiet, commendable life, that I sometimes think that melancholy and a heavy mind could often be the cause of such weaknesses; therefore, I would rather admonish E. F. G., as a young man, to always be cheerful, to ride, to hunt and to keep other good company, who can rejoice divinely and honorably with E. F. G.. For it is, after all, loneliness or melancholy that is all
People vain poison and death, especially a young person.
God has also commanded that one should be joyful before Him and not have a sad offering; as it is often written in Genesis and Ecclesiastes 12:9: "Rejoice, young man, in your youth and let your heart be of good cheer." No one believes what harm it does to deny joy to a young person and point him to loneliness and melancholy.
E. F. G. have Magister Nicolaus Hausmann and others more, with whom be merry; for joy and good courage in honor and discipline is the best medicine of a young man, yes, of all men. I, who
I have spent my life mourning and souring, now I seek and take joy where I can. But now, praise God, there is so much knowledge that we can be joyful with a clear conscience and use his gifts with thanksgiving, for which he created them and is pleased with them.
If I did not hit it and hereby did wrong to E. F. G., E. F. G. will graciously forgive me the mistake. For I truly think that E. F. G. would be too stupid to be happy as if it were a sin; as has often happened to me and probably still happens from time to time. True, joy in sins is the devil; but joy with good, pious people in sins is the devil.
Fear of God, discipline and honor, even if a word or a little bit is too much, are pleasing to God.
E. F.G. Only be joyful always, both inwardly in Christ himself and outwardly in his gifts and goods; he wants it so, is therefore there and therefore gives us his goods to use them, that we may be joyful and praise, love and thank him always and forever.
Melancholy and melancholy will make old age and other things superfluous. Christ cares for us and will not leave us. To Him I command E. F. G. forever, Amen. On the Friday after St. John the Baptist, Anno 1534.