December 21, 1525.
1. grace and peace in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, and my servants before, Most High, Most Gracious Prince, Most Gracious Lord. We know, as all Scripture says of God, that He first deals harshly and harshly with men, but afterwards kindly and fatherly. Thus He first afflicted and cursed the whole Israelite people through the severe law of Moses, before He blessed them through the Gospel and comforted them kindly, as it is written 1 Sam. 2, 6: "The Lord kills and makes alive" 2c. Accordingly, I have dealt with many others, including E. F. G., and have attacked them with hard, sharp writing. I have also kindly asked that God would make E. F. G. a gracious Lord to me and otherwise let many lovely sermons and books go out, in which everyone might well grasp how I mean no harm to anyone, but would gladly serve everyone for the best.
But as I notice that E. F. G. does not turn away from the disgrace at all, but always continues, I have been advised to humbly and kindly ask E. F. G. once again, with this writing, perhaps for the last time. For it almost looks to me as if God our Lord should take our part away from us very soon, and then there is the worry that Duke Jürge and Luther would also have to go.
3. but what I do, I appeal to God, as much as my heart can tell me, that I do it for the best of E. F. G. out of my duty and guilt, which urges me to prevent and protect E. F. G. souls.
blessedness; which I also recognize that I owe to my enemies. Now let E. F. G. accept (that God gives) or not (that God is for), so E. F. G. shall learn in a short time that I meant better with my hard writing and still mean it, because all those who now praise E. F. G. highly, also hypocritically.
*This letter appeared especially under the title: "Ein Sendbrief Doctor Martin Luchers an Herzog Georg zu Sachsen 2c., darin er ihn freundlich exhortt, zu dem Wort Gottes zu treten. A reply from He^og Georg zu Sachsen 2c. to Doctor Martinum. 1526." German along with Duke George's reply in the Wittenberg edition (1569), vol. IX, p. 230; in the Jena (1556), vol. ill, p. 208; in the Altenburg, vol. ill, p. 302.334; in the Leipzig, vol. XIX, p. 360. Without the duke's reply in De Wette, vol. Ill, p. 54; in the Erlangen, vol. 53, p. 338. Latin in the Wittenberg, lom. II, toi. 531. we share the text according to De Wette, which is Luther's own handwriting in Oocl. otrart. 379, Lidl. 6olU.
But I know and I am certain that, if my souls are in danger, I must take care of E. F. G.'s soul, beg, plead and exhort if I could do something.
(5) E. F. G. did not want to look at my little person; for God also "once spoke through an ass" [4 Mos. 22, 28. 30.], so he scolds in the 14th Psalm, v. 6, "those who spurn the poor man's counsel". Neither E. F. G. nor any man will dampen or hinder my teaching; it must go and shall go, as it has done until now; for it is not mine. But I am sorry that I should see how F. F. G. so horribly approaches the "cornerstone Christ" [Eph. 2:20], when God has otherwise given F. F. G. much more virtue and kindness in other things. May God Almighty grant His grace that I may now come to a good hour and that my writing may find a gracious place in E. F. G.'s heart. F. G.'s heart. For if God (since He is for me) would not accept my humble and heartfelt admonition, I would have to command God.
6. but I hereby want to apologize before God and E. F. G.'s conscience. F. G.'s conscience that I have done what is mine and am still willing and ready to do and leave everything that I know would please E. F. G.; except for my teaching; I cannot leave this before my conscience. Otherwise I ask and submit myself and seek mercy, in which I have neglected E. F. G., be it with writings or words. I also forgive from the bottom of my heart everything that E. F. G. has done against me, and I will ask and certainly obtain forgiveness from my Lord Jesus Christ for everything that E. F. G. does and has done against his word. But E. F. G. let himself be softened in the one piece, then it is all bad, that Christ's word, which comes to day through me, is free: of this without a doubt all the angels in heaven will rejoice over E. F. G.
rejoice [Luc. 15, 10]. Let it also be known to His Holiness that I have so far pleaded diligently for His heart, and still plead, and would gladly precede it with this writing, so that I would not have to plead against His Holiness out of necessity. For even though we are a small, poor group, if we were to petition against E. F. G. (as we do not like to do at all, and yet the unceasing pursuit of the gospel and its preachers will force us to do so), it would be obvious that E. F. G. would not succeed; for we know that what Christ has promised us, He will keep.
7 And perhaps E. F. G. would like to realize that it is not the same thing to strive against Münzer and against Luther. But I would rather that E. F. G. did not have to experience this. I keep my prayer and mine stronger than the devil himself, and if that were not the case, things should have been different for Luther long ago; although the great miracle of God is not seen or noticed in me.
I want to have written this, as I said, to E. F. G. (God grant Not for Last) in the most humble and faithful way, and God grant that E. F. G. will answer me graciously and Christianly, more with living action than with dead letters, Amen. On the day of St. Thomas, 1) Anno 1525.
E. F. G.
willing, unhearted Martinus Luther.
2) To the Sublime, Highborn Prince and Lord, Mr. George, Duke of Saxony, Landgrave of Thuringia and Margrave of Meissen, my gracious Lord.
1) So in the original. Why De Wette did not include this reading in the text, but relegated it to the margin, is not known to us. He brings instead the ordinary text: Fridays after St. Thomas.
2) This inscription is not in the original.