1. to N. Zink at Nuremberg, who lost his son early with death.
April 23, 1532.
Grace and peace in Christ our Lord beforehand. My dear friend! I am well aware that the story has now come before you of how your dear son, John Zinc, who was staying here with us to study, has been attacked with a serious illness, and although there is certainly no lack of diligence, care and medicine, the illness has nevertheless become too powerful and has taken him away and brought him to our Lord Jesus Christ in heaven.
He was almost a dear boy to all of us, especially to me, that I needed many evenings of him to sing the discant (soprano) in my house, because he was finely quiet, chaste and especially diligent in his studies, that we were all almost hurt by his departure. And wherever it would have been possible, we would have gladly saved and preserved him; but he was much dearer to God, who wanted him.
Now, as is only right, such a case and event will sadden and grieve your and your dear wife's heart, as the parents, which I do not deny you, because it grieves us all, and especially me. But I urge you to give much more thanks to God, who has given you such a fine, pious child and made you worthy to spend your costs and efforts so well.
But this shall comfort you, as it does us, in the highest way, that he has fallen asleep so neatly and gently, more than differently, with such fine confession, faith and reason, that all miracles have us, and no doubt can be", as little as the Christian
Faith can be false, he is with God, his right Father, eternally blessed. For such a Christian end cannot lack the kingdom of heaven.
You should also consider how much you should be thanked and comforted that he did not perish dangerously or miserably, as happened to many others. And if he had already lived a long time, you would not have been able to help him more with your expenses than, for example, to an office or service; but now he is in the place where he did not want to change with all the world, not even for a moment.
Therefore grieve so much more that you also comfort yourselves, because you have not lost him, but sent him before you, where he will be preserved eternally and blessed. For thus saith St. Paul, 1 Thess. 4:13, "Ye shall not grieve over them that are diverse, or that sleep, as the Gentiles which have no hope."
I understand, Magister Veit Dietrich, his preceptor, will write you some fine words, spoken before his end, which will please and comfort you. Out of love for the pious boy, however, I did not want to refrain from writing this to you, so that you may have certain testimony as to how he fared.
May Christ, our Lord and Comforter, entrust you to His grace. On St. George's Eve, Anno 1532.
2. to an unnamed person.
25 October 1535.
Grace and peace in the Lord! My dear Godfather, Mr. N., has informed me that you are almost distressed about your son, whom God has given you and will return to you so soon.
has taken. But what are we to make of this? We must therefore learn to recognize God's will, that it alone is good and holy; although it seems much different to our will.
So now you have often read and heard that God's works are hidden, and under the cross all grace is hidden until the time of revelation, when we will see and reap with joy what we now sow with weeping, as David says, Ps. 126:6: Euntes ibant et flebant, mittentes semina pretiosa.
("They go and weep, and bear noble seed").
Therefore, make a measure of your sorrow. God is still alive and has more than he ever forgave; he comforts you in Christ, his dear Son, amen.
In the Crispini (On Crispin's Day) 1535.
3. to unnamed parents.
October 25, 1544.
Grace and peace in Christ our Lord and Savior. Honorable, dear, good friends! The preceptor of your dear son, of blessed memory, has asked me to do this writing for you and to admonish you in your misfortune, which now befalls you through the departure of your son, as the parents. And it is true that you should not have been harmed by it, it is not to be believed, nor would it be fine to hear, that father and mother should not be grieved over their child's death. So also says the wise man, Jesus Sirach, Cap. 22, 10. 11.: "Thou shalt mourn over him that is dead, because his light is gone out: but thou shalt not mourn too much, because he is at rest."
So also you, when you have mourned and wept to some extent, you should comfort yourselves again, even thank God with joy that your son has come to such a beautiful end and has fallen asleep so finely in Christ that there can be no doubt that he must be in the eternal rest of Christ, sleeping sweetly and gently. For everyone has marveled at the great grace that he has remained steadfast in praying and confessing Christ to the end; which grace should be dearer to you than
that he should have lived a thousand years in all the world's goods and honors. He took with him the great treasure that we might obtain in this life.
Therefore, be confident, it has happened well to him before many thousands of others who perish miserably, sometimes shamefully, and die in sins. It is therefore to be wished from the bottom of our hearts that you and all yours, and we all, may also have such a farewell by God's grace. He has deceived the world and the devil; but we must still be deceived daily and be in all danger, since he is safe from it. You have sent him to the right school and have invested your love and costs well. God help us also after this, amen.
The Lord and supreme Comforter, Jesus Christ, who loved your Son more than you did, and called him to himself first by his word, and then called him to himself and took him from you, comfort and strengthen you with grace until the day you see your Son again in eternal joy, amen.
Saturday after St. Lucas, Anno 1544.
Martinus Luther, D.
4. to Georg Hosel, mining scribe at Marienberg.
13 December 1544.
Ad Georgium Hoselum, scribam in fodinis metallicis montis Mariae (To Georg Hosel, scribe in the mines of Marienberg), God's grace and comfort through His only begotten Son JEsum Christum, our Savior, before.
Honorable, favorable, wise sir. Although I do not like to give you this sad message
that your dear son Jerome has departed from this world in God's will: yet it is necessary to inform you of this, and in doing so I would ask you to consider yourself a Christian man, because our Savior Christ said: "It is not the will of the heavenly Father that one of these men should be a Christian.
2050 L. 56,119.; 53,298. III. Main st. - 6. from the father-our esp. 7. petition. W. X, 2372-2375. 2051
little ones. Since Christ clearly says that this youth, who is in God's knowledge and church, is pleasing to God and should not be lost, and says a sign that their angels always see God's face, you should not doubt that he is with our Savior Christ and with all the blessed in joy. I am also a father, and have seen some of my children die, and have also seen greater misery than death, and know that such things are painful. But we should resist the pain and comfort ourselves with the knowledge of eternal bliss. God wants us to love our children and to mourn when they die.
But the sadness should be moderate and not too intense, but the faith of eternal bliss should work comfort in us. You know about your son's illness that he was ill with a fever and that many others died of it for some time, but that your son's physicians were very diligent, as a well-skilled boy from Lüneburg and a man from Strasbourg died to us the other day. May the eternal Father of our Savior Jesus Christ help to comfort and strengthen you at all times. Date Wittenberg, Dec. 13, Anno 1544.
Martin Luther.