(1) There you have another fine, useful book, my dear friends, namely St. Paul's Epistle to the Colossians, with Magistri Philippi Melanchthon's instruction and teaching; in it is very finely, briefly, and yet clearly and abundantly summarized, what Christian doctrine and life is about, so that this booklet may be called a large book, and again, this booklet may be called a small booklet, and each one may carry it with him in his busem as his Christian treasure to practice daily. I myself prefer such Magistri Philipp's books to mine, and I also prefer to see them both in Latin and German on the square than mine.
I was born to fight and contend with the hordes and devils; therefore my books are much stormy and warlike. I must uproot the logs and trunks, cut away thorns and hedges, fill in the puddles, and am the rough forest ranger who must break and straighten the path. But M. Philipps leads along neatly and quietly, balleting and planting, sowing and tilling with pleasure, after God has given him his gifts abundantly. O the blessed time, if our damned ingratitude would let us recognize this. 1) What a treasure it should have been for all the world twenty years ago, where one could have had such a book! But now it has unfortunately come to the point that the Jews of the
1) Erlanger: lets.
We have grown weary of the bread of heaven, and we want to eat ribs and garlic in Egypt; even worse, we must throw pearls to the dogs, and sanctuary to the swine, which tear and bite us for it. If the word is taken from us again, we will cry out in vain, as our ancestors did, and no one will listen to us.
But this booklet (if God wills it) will come to find honor and praise, love and thanksgiving. For a good word finds a good place, and God's word does not go forth in vain, nor does it return empty, as we have promise and comfort in the Scriptures [Isa. 55:10]. This booklet shall be commanded to the same quiet, pious hearts, which shall have their paradise in it, and find their dear Lord Christ displayed and presented in it as the right tree of life, at which they cannot eat their fill without all displeasure, but the longer the better it shall be said, the more the more joyful it shall be to eat, so that they do not remember the Egyptian ribs and garlic [Numbers 4:21], even with the amphibians. 21], nor do they have to fight with the Amorites and Cananites, nor do they have to fight, but possess and use their land and property with peace and tranquility, to the praise and honor of God, in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior, to whom thanks be given forever for all His abundant, causeless goodness shown to us, amen.
*) Walch has assumed that this preface, as well as Melanchthon's writing: hilippi Melanchthonis Scholia in Epistolam ad Colossenses recognita. Wittenbergae 1528. 8. was originally written in Latin. This is erroneous, however, because the Latin edition does not contain this preface. Only in 1529 did Luther write it in German for the translation that Justus Jonas published under the following title: "Die Epistel S. Pauli zun Colossern durch Philippum Melanchton ym latein zum andern mal ausgelegt, verdendscht durch Justum Jonam mit einer schönen vorrhede Martini Luther an die deudschen leser. Printed. At the end: "Printed by Michael Lotter in 1529. Jrmischer followed Walch's erroneous assumption and therefore did not include this preface in the 63rd volume of the Erlangen edition. This deficiency has been corrected by I). H. Schmitt has made up for it in the opsru varii ur^urnsnti, and there toiu. VII, p. 493 our preface from the original edition. In German, it is found in the Eisleben edition, vol. I, p. 481; in the Altenburg, vol. IV, p. 702 and in the Leipzig, vol. XII, p. 86. We give the text according to the Erlangen.