November 18, 1529.
To the Most Serene, Highborn Prince and Lord, Lord John, Duke of Saxony and Elector etc., Landgrave in Thuringia and Margrave of Meissen, my most gracious Lord.
1. grace and peace in Christ. Most noble, highborn prince, most gracious lord! The respectable, highly learned gentleman, Gregor Brück, Doctor 2c, has brought us three a letter of credence from E. C. F. G., whereupon we have heard from him E. C. F. G.'s opinion and have indicated in writing our best reservations about surrendering to E. C. F. G., and I ask that E. C. F. G. will hear such a gracious opinion from us. For in our conscience we do not approve of such an alliance, nor do we advise against it; considering that if it were to continue and any bloodshed or other misfortune were to result from it, that whether we would then like to be out of it, we would not be able to come out of it, and would have to bear the unpleasant burden of all such misfortune, that we would rather have to pay ten times the amount of the money that we would have paid for it.
want to be dead, because we have such a conscience that our gospel should have been the cause of some bloodshed or damage done because of us; because we should be those who suffer, and, as the prophet says, Ps. 44:23, "be counted as sheep for the slaughter", and "not avenge ourselves" or defend ourselves, but "leave room for the wrath of God", Rom. 12:19.
(2) But the fact that the C.F.G. must be in danger over this does not hurt. Our Lord Christ is powerful enough and can find ways and means so that C.F.G. will not do anything about such danger; he can destroy the thoughts of the godless rulers, Ps. 33, 10. For we also take it for granted that such an emperor's pretensions are a pure threat of the devil, which will be without power and will at last bring ruin to the wicked, as the 7th Psalm, v. 17, sings: "His calamity shall come upon his head, and his iniquity shall go out upon him"; without (except) that Christ thereby, like
Whether we are serious about his word or whether we believe it to be true or not. For if we want to be Christians and have eternal life there, we will not be able to have it better than our Lord Himself has had and still has with all His saints. Christ's cross must always be carried: the world does not want to carry it, but to lay it on; so we Christians must carry it, so that it does not lie there alone or be nothing. E. C. F. G. have hitherto borne it honestly, both against the turmoil and also against great temptation, envy, hatred and much evil treachery from friends and enemies; still God has graciously always helped out and E. C. F. G. has always been a good Christian. C. F. G. firm courage and without consolation, both bodily and spiritually, but has miraculously uncovered, torn apart and put to shame all the evil wiles and snares of the devil. He will not make it evil again, if we believe and ask. We know for certain, and have experienced it in the public help of God so far, that our cause is not ours, but God's own. This is our defiance and consolation, which is why he, as a faithful father, has taken care of and defended his cause in such a way that we must confess that it was beyond our art and power, and that we could not have ruled, defended or carried it out with our reason.
For this reason, I humbly ask and exhort E. C. F. G. to be confident and undaunted in such danger; we want, if God wills, to accomplish more with prayers and supplications against God than they do with all their defiance. Only that we keep our hands clean of blood and iniquity, and if it should come to that, as I do not think that the Emperor would push away and demand of me or the others, then we want to appear for ourselves with God's help, not to put E. C. F. G. in any danger for our sake; as I have often indicated to E. C. F. G., brother of God, my most gracious lord, Duke Frederick.
(4) For the C.F.G. shall not defend my faith nor that of another, nor can he do so; but each one shall defend his own faith and believe or not believe, not at the risk of another, but at his own risk, if it comes so far that our sovereign, as the emperor, wants to us. Meanwhile, much water is running and God will find counsel that it will not go as they think. Christ, our Lord and comfort, strengthen E. C. F. G. abundantly, Amen.
The 18th of November 1529.
E. C. F. G.
subservient
Martinus Luther.