Luther wants to know what Melanchthon thinks about his concealment, into which he has reluctantly submitted. He admonishes him to stand firm and faithful to the cause of the Gospel. He comments on the imperial edict and complains of abdominal discomfort. Some news.
4) Berka is a small town in Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach, on the Werra. This does not refer to Berka an der Jlm in the Principality of Weimar.
5) Prospect. - In Möhra, where Luther was a guest of his father-brother, Luther preached on May 4 in the morning.
6) Luther's monastic brother, Johann Petzensteiner, who often accompanied him on his travels.
7) Duke George.
Handwritten in the Ooä. len. s, k. 118. Printed in Aurifaber, vol. I, p. 324; in Strobel-Ranner, p. 16; in Schütze, vol. II, p. 206, but incomplete, without addressee, and placed under the letters from the Coburg of 1530; in De Wette, vol. II, p. 1 and in Erlanger Briefwechsel, vol. Ill, p. 148.
To Philipp Melanchthon, evangelist of the church at Wittenberg, his exceedingly dear brother in Christ.
JEsus.
1. Hail! What are you doing in the meantime, my dear Philip? Are you not praying for me that this seclusion of mine, which I have unwillingly allowed, may work something greater for God's glory? And how this pleases you, I very much wish to know. I feared that I would be regarded as leaving the battle line, and yet there was no path open to me on which I could have resisted those who wanted and advised me to do so. I want nothing more than to meet the rage of the adversaries and offer them my neck.
2 As I sit here, all day long I imagine the figure of the Church and see the word in the 89th Psalm [v. 48.]: "Why will you have created all men in vain?" Oh God! What a frightening image (spectrum) of the wrath of God is the abominable empire of the Roman Antichrist! And I abhor my hardness, lest I be utterly dissolved in tears, lest I too weep with my fountains of tears for the slain children of my people [Jer. 9:1]. But there is no one who rises up and keeps God [Isa. 64:7], or makes himself a wall for the house of Israel [Ezek. 22:30, 13:5] in this last day of His wrath. O, a worthy kingdom of the Pabst for the end and yeast of the world! God have mercy on us!
(3) In the meantime, therefore, O servant of the word, stop and fortify the walls and towers of Jerusalem, until they also attack you. You know your profession and your gifts. I pray especially for you, whether my prayer (as I do not doubt) is not able to do something. Do the same for me, and let us bear this burden together. We alone are still in the battle line; they will look for you after me.
Spalatin writes to me that such a cruel edict 1) will be printed that they will, at the risk of their conscience, investigate the whole world about my books, so that they will soon cause their own downfall. Rehoboam at Dresden is pleased, 2) and is very eager to execute such an edict. They have also told the emperor to write to the king of Denmark that he should not receive the remnants of the Lutheran heresy, and they sing the little song [Ps. 41:6]: "When will he die and his name perish?"
Hartmann Kronenberg has promised the emperor a salary of 200 gold florins 3) because he does not want to serve the one who hears these godless people. I believe it will happen that this edict will not rage anywhere but among this Rehoboam and your other neighbor, 4) whom the vain doctrine plagues. God lives and reigns forever, amen.
The Lord has beaten me with great pain. The bowel movement is so hard that I have to force it out with great force until the sweat of fear, and the longer I put it off, the more it hardens. Yesterday, on the fourth day, I had an opening; therefore, I did not sleep all night, and I am still not at peace. I ask you to pray for me. For this evil will become unbearable if it continues as it has begun.
6 The Cardinal of Salzburg went as a companion with Ferdinand to his bride in Innsbruck on the day before Philip and James [April 30], that is, on the fourth day after our departure. 5) It is said that this companion displeased Ferdinand, but also the emperor, as Spalatin writes. But you read his letter yourself. See that you write everything that is going on with you and how everything stands, and be well with your own (cum carne tua). On Sunday Exaudi [May 12] 1521, in the regions of the birds.
Your Martin Luther.
1) The first edict in No. 747 of this volume.
2) Duke George.
3) This was the annual salary for having entered the service of the emperor with his friend Sickingen. Compare About Hartmuth von Kronberg, numbers 503 to 514 in this volume.
4) the Elector Joachim of Brandenburg.
5) Luther left Worms on April 26.