To the Most Serene Prince and Lord, Lord Frederick, Elector of the Holy Roman Empire, Duke of Saxony, Landgrave of Thuringia, Margrave of Meissen, his most gracious Lord, Martinus Luther, Augustinian, begs grace and peace from Jesus Christ our Lord.
That I. Most Serene, Most Gracious Lord, have not hitherto pleased Your Electoral Grace. I have not yet been able to please Your Elector's Grace, being constrained from day to day by many matters of decency, and I do not know to whom I should attribute this. It is well and for the best that E" K. Gn. advised me to turn away from the quarrelsome, acrimonious and confusing writings, so that I now entered the third year, that I continued to adhere to the holy and friendly doctrine and, besides the work of the Psalter explanation, endeavored in the Epistles and Gospels (so called postilion) interpretation, for the good of the pastors and their subjects: so that I, with such valiantly undertaken work so burdened, might the sooner attain peace also against the an-
*Cf. Francke (Dr. Martin Luthers Kirchenpostille) p. 3. In a slightly different form, this letter can also be found in Walch (XI, preface p. 41). D. Red.
the blows of my adversaries. So noble is, according to E. K. G. peaceful name, E. K. G. innate mind, that they often and clearly indicate to me, how annoying E. K. G. are the quarrels and useless questions (as one says) of the goat's wool (shall befit me differently, thus diminish the so glorious counter-fights of the spiritual money addiction and make with the prophet Bethaven from Bethel).
I myself cannot well say how unwillingly I have been moved by these storm winds and driven away from my studies, so that I might have ruled my flesh and blood, even not refraining from confronting such sacrilegious writings somewhat more harshly than befits a religious (but with quite a bit of modesty). In this matter, just as I confess my guilt, so I also hope that mercy will not be denied me by anyone who thinks otherwise.
what the fierce lions of Moab, what the Rabzakhs of the Assyrians, what the evil poisonous Simei I alone have been forced to tolerate for so long a time, to the detriment of me and of many to whom I might have been useful in the Word of God. In the midst of such a storm, however, my mind has always remained steadfast in the hope of attaining some peace, so that I may be able to please God, through whom the mercy of God has bestowed the Gospel of Christ (without doubt) in no small measure.
But now I see that my hope was a completely human thought, and that I sink deeper and deeper every day in the deep, great sea, in which countless crawling animals, great and small, who all help each other, are against me: I also see that the devil has sought nothing else in such a challenge to my hope, but that I, drawn away in the sense of my delusion, would finally even fall away from my purpose and would have to go to Babylon much sooner than I would miss my Jerusalem with armor and profanity. So sweetened is his wickedness. Considering this, I remembered the holy man Nehemiah, and, leaving the idle contemplations of the scribe Ezra, I began to hope for peace, prepared myself everywhere, both for peace and war, took the sword in one hand to fence with my Arabs, and wanted to build the wall with the other, lest, while I alone was devoted to one work, I should complete none of theirs. For St. Jerome also says that not resisting the unruly is as much harmful to the churches as building on one side alone. And the apostle commands that a bishop should not only have the power to instruct the people in sound doctrine, but also to punish those who contradict. Not that I consider myself a bishop, because I have neither wealth nor isle, which makes a bishop of this time, but that he who carries out the ministry of the word of God also carries out the ministry of a bishop, who must be skilled in both hands, as Ehud, and fight the cowardly Aeglon to death in time of war with the belligerent left.
So I bold man in the midst of swords, bulls, trombones and bugles, so that the papists frighten me
I do not want to let anything challenge me, and, by the grace of God, being committed to the work of peace, I have taken the interpretation of the Epistles and Gospels, as requested by E. K. G., in hand. For what would I not be able to do in him who strengthens me? Even if I were to measure my ability, I would not trust myself to complete the one Psalter, even if I were Luther seven times already; this book requires such acumen, art, diligence, spirit and grace. That I do not say that I have to preach twice a day; without what other business is outside the service of the preaching of the Word, which I do not even want to think about.
But I fear that such a work of mine will not be equal to the great hope that others have of it. For since there is nothing more sacred in the hearts of all Christians than the gospel, which is not to be worshipped unreasonably (as worthy of its inestimable majesty), its worthy and proper interpretation may be expected by many. Thus a mountain gives birth at last to a mouse, and a great rut becomes a burning stump. I do not speak of the eloquence and adornment of the Latin language; for just as I am inexperienced in these matters, so I have not written for the experienced, but for the common people and those who have the spirit, who are highly esteemed in the sight of God, as Isaiah speaks; which judgment, how roughly they already speak, I fear, will be passed on to the Church, which is not only inclined to and adheres to the Holy Scriptures with incomparable seriousness, but should also give the most learned theologian trouble and advice; let it not be said that the Romanists should fatze the Catholic Church with the deceit and lies of their bulls *) or catch it with the ungodly laws of their superstition, so that they may perish at this time even among all bishops.
However, I hope that I will do enough by discovering the purest and most simple meaning of the Gospel as best I can, and by countering the unsalted, clumsy glosses of some, so that the people who believe in Christ may hear the words of their God for the fables and dreams,
*) D. i. ape.
purified from human dung. For I promise nothing, but the pure, clear understanding of the gospel, according to the lowly, humble people. But whether I can accomplish this, I leave to others to judge; but opinions and foolish questions, which do not serve the cause, no one shall learn from me.
E. K. G. want to please you this my most subservient service not according to worthiness, but according to favor and keep yourself, namely the pious great prince Friedericum, to the Gospel of Christ (as she does) and us to good in Christ's grace long! Amen.
Wittenberg, on the 3rd day of March, in the year 1521.