December 31, 1528.
To the Most Serene, Highborn Prince and Lord, Lord John, Duke of Saxony and Elector, Landgrave in Thuringia and Margrave of Meissen, my most gracious Lord.
Grace and peace in Christ. Most Serene, Highborn Prince, Most Gracious Lord! It causes me now to write to E. C. F. G. that I see and hear the great trouble and worry, so E. C. F. G. is entitled to, through various and the very many evil things, and especially Duke Georgen's (my eighth) wildly wildly presumptuous temptations. And perhaps the foolish and wild little book will move the E. C. F. G. even more,
the so-called Duke George, because of my letter, will leave out on this market, as by this he intends to gain unspeakable favor with all the world against E. C. F. G., because I remain and live under E. C. F. G.'s protection and umbrella, as such a desperate knave etc. About this, he will first of all really rage at my answer, which will go out next to his great little book, so that he will certainly sit down in heaven and think that he has E. C. F. G. in the bag. Therefore, I now come before you quite humbly and ask that C.F.G. be unmoved and undaunted against his devil for my sake, as I hope that my Lord Christ will give C.F.G. heart and mind.
1818 Erl. 54, 55-57. triple appendix of some of Luther's controversial writings. W. xix, 2271-2273. 1819
I will comfort and strengthen your courage. For I humbly ask E. C. F. G. to offer my person confidently and freshly, where he would rage and throb. For I would rather put my neck on the line (as is also fair and right) than that E. C. F. G. should stand in some hairbreadth danger on account of my person. Christ will probably be man enough in me for the restless devil, both to right and to speak.
But for the sake of E. C. F. G.'s person and business, E. C. F. G. has to comfort himself in various ways. First, that it is certain before God and all the world how E. C. F. G. seeks and desires peace, quiet and tranquility until this day, with great patience in many ways; again, Duke George not only suffers no patience nor nothing, but as a restless devil seeks nothing else than strife, war, murder, harm and misfortune; and as much as one senses his mind, that he is inclined to do nothing else but poor widows and orphans all over the world, only that he may bring the splendor and glory of it, he has subdued the gospel, all of which cannot please GOtte. Thus, on the pages of E. C. F. G. there is the saying: "Blessed are the peaceful, for they shall be called the children of God. Again, on Duke George's pages the saying: Dominus dissipat gentes, qui bella volunt: God scatters the heathens who want to get. So let us see what war-mongers 1) want to do against God's peaceful children, whether they will push God out of heaven with his children?
Secondly, it is certain that our doctrine is the pure truth of God, because we teach nothing else, but that they themselves confess that it must be right, as, faith, when we speak: I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Lord. It is obvious that they fight and rage out of pure courage against their own conscience, which they themselves confess to be right, and yet seek only vain appearance and color, as if we were teaching sedition, even though they know otherwise. For this reason, we are comforted by the fact that we know, as the other psalm says, "how they have sinned against God and his Christ.
1) In the original "Kriegsgyrigen". We do not consider it impossible to replace this word by "Kriegsjürgen". '
rage". For though we are poor sinners in ourselves, yet they do not condemn us for our sins. For they might well suffer us to be full of sin and shame; but that we honor God's word and preach Christ, that they cannot suffer; from which it must be understood that there must be vain devils with him (just as there are vain angels with us), as the prophet Elisha and the king Ezekiel prove by words and examples.
Third, we know that the prayers of all devout Christians, which are many and mighty, are with us. They pray nothing, but insist and defy their power and quantity; but we pray and also want to assist E. C. F. G., as our dear worldly head, with earnest, diligent prayer, together with all pious Christians, that the insolent tyrants, who without prayer, without God's help and comfort, insist only on their own defiance and power, should, whether God wills it, leave what they have in mind; for we do not act nor seek our own, but for Christ's sake we must be in such danger, but they seek their glory, benefit and power. Unless Jesus Christ is not something they pursue, their defiance shall end in shame.
Only that C.F.G. gets a little used to (as I know that C.F.G. does), to put body and goods on the road and to let the devil defy and threaten: without that we have to put our body and goods, honor and everything on the road every hour, so that we die. What is it, then, if for God's sake, through no fault of our own, we must put it in jeopardy for a little while, when we would not certainly have to die? Therefore, I pray that C.C.F.G. would be confident, have good courage, command things to God; we suffer without guilt and causes against the world, so they rage without cause against God and His word.
This has compelled me to write my heartfelt concern, for I would never have liked E. C. F. G. to offend himself too much at this time when the devil is raging, because we are certain that, although we are otherwise frail, poor sinners, we nevertheless have a good conscience in this matter about which they are raging, that they are wrong and we are right. Let us now humble ourselves before God and ask for
1820 Erl. 54, 57. 55,7 f. b. Wider Herzog Georg und Cardinal Albrecht. W. XIX, 2273-2275. 1821
Mercy, then there shall be no need against those who do not ask God; as it is written in Ps. 79: "O Lord, pour out your anger on those who do not know you, nor call on your name. May the Father of all mercies and consolations strengthen and comfort E. C. F. G.'s heart and courage in all adversity, and give joyful victory and gladness over all enemies and devils, together with all their evil attempts.
Amen, dear Father, Amen. At Wittenberg, Thursday after Nativ. Christi, Dec. 31, 1529. 1)
E. C. F. G. subservient
Martin Luther.
1) This is after the way to start the New Year with Christmas.