in which he indicates the reason why he wrote so harshly and sharply to the King of England. *)
August 28, 1522.
Grace and peace in Christ. I have received your writing, my dear friend, through the redeemed Daniel, and I am glad that God's word is so important to you that you have taken such pains and diligence for his sake.
But if you want to know why I have answered the King of England so harshly, so that you can meet my adversaries, I let you know that I have done it out of well-considered courage, and I will no longer handle the blasphemers and liars with any litter, because my preaching and writing has reached its highest and end.
You know that Christ, Peter and Paul were not always gentle either. How often does he call the Jews viper-bred, murderers, children of the devil, fools? And especially Matth. 23, 19. 33. 37. in his last sermon is written how harshly and horribly he scolds them. Stephen, Apost. 7, 52, calls them murderers and traitors. Peter, Apost. 8:20 curses Simon that he should go to the devil with his money. With many other sharp words Paul, how does he scold so harshly? Now he calls them dogs, messengers of the devil, liars, deceivers, counterfeiters, deceivers, children of the devil; I will be silent here, like the prophets.
So I too, as you know, have written many a fine booklet without all sharpness, kindly and gently, offered myself most humbly to them, followed them, appeared with much food and effort, and endured their lies and blasphemy beyond measure. But the more I have humbled myself, the more they rage, blaspheming me and my teaching, until they are hardened, unable to hear or see. Who then is of the mind.
That he does not also regard and despise my many patience and prayers, what should I care if he is annoyed by my scolding? since he himself indicates that he knows no good in me, but only seeks cause to despise. The same 1) must then also meet him, so that his wrong heart may be revealed. For he who sows my teaching with a right heart would not be offended by my rebuke.
But is it not a wrong judgment that they do not want to see my enemies' reproaches and blasphemies, when they praise them as the best Christians and consider me a heretic? Now they have much more than I, scolded, even with great heaps on me some are nonsensical. Judge for yourselves what kind of hearts these are that let so much good go in me and grasp only the hard, again let so much bad go in those many and find so little good in them. But, as I have said, God's judgment is only to cause all who are not worthy of it to be angry and fall away, just as, John 6:60, many of Christ's disciples jumped back and said, "This speech is too hard, who can bear it?"
Therefore, my dear friend, do not be surprised that many are annoyed by my letter. So it shall be, and so it must be, that very few remain in the gospel. And the gospel is not more inimical to any man than to the false hearts that take its
1) All editions available to us have the reading "the same", but it seems to us to be erroneous. It might well be read "this same" for it; namely: that he does not regard Luther's kind and gentle writings, his patience and humility, but only seeks cause to despise them.
*) This letter is found in the German editions: Wittenberger, vol. IX, toi. 156; Jenaer (1585), vol. II, toi. 145b ; Altenburger, vol. II, p. 207; Leipziger, vol. XVIII, p. 209; Erlanger, vol. 53, p. 149 and in De Wette, vol. II, p. 242. According to the latter we share it.
They put up with their friends and then, when things look a little sour, they fall away. How would they stake their lives on it if the hour or the pursuit demanded it?
Summa, why I am so harsh shall become clear in due time. Whoever does not want to believe that it is out of a good heart and is well done, may let it be, but he will have to confess it. My most gracious lord has also admonished me in writing, as have many other friends of the same kind: But
My answer is always that I do not want to let it go, nor should I. My trade is not a middle trade, which should yield or give way, or refrain 1) as I fool have done until now. Herewith I command you to God. Given at Wittenberg, on the Thursday after Bartholomew. Anno 1522.
Martinus Luther.
1) i.e. to lower oneself, to humble oneself.