Anno 1526.
Grace and peace in Christ. My dear Philippe, I think you should be able to answer and report on this question yourself. I cannot advise otherwise here, except that love should serve everyone, as Paul says 1 Cor. 9:20, 1): "I became them that are under the law, as under the law." Therefore, where love and correction require it, it is right that one should not eat meat and keep everything with them that they
1) Here again De Wette and the Erlangen edition have reprinted the wrong Bible quotation 1 Cor. 9, 2. from Walch. Likewise the following passage: "Gal. 1, 2." instead of "Gal. 2, 4. 5.
desire. But if they want to do so and pretend that they are so weak, and as far as they hear that love allows such things, they want to break in with it and make it seem as if it should not be necessity nor laws, but should be done to serve them, as now Margrave Casimirus does: these are falsi subintro- ducti fratres, ut ibidem ["False brothers, who have intruded with, to whom one must not give way for an hour", as it says there.
Since it can no longer be assumed that what they claim is happening is due to weakness, because the gospel is so bright on the
*This letter is first found in the Eislebensche Theilen, Vol. I, p. 272; from there in the Altenburger Aus;abe, Vol. Ill, p. 518; in the Leipziger, Vol. XXII, p. 551; in the Erlanger, Vol. 53, p. 392 and in De Wette, Ad. Ill, p. 142. According to the latter, we have reproduced the text.
1018 Erl. 53, 3S3.32, SS. VII Luther's writings on Christian freedom. Freiheit 2c. W. XU, 1242-1244. 1019
I consider it to be mischievousness, so that they want to maintain their tyranny under the cover of love and the appearance of weakness. But if it is not mischievousness, then one may confess and say, "Well, I will do it to serve you.
gladly with you, but not as if it were commanded before God. Such a condition is then enough, until one sees whether it is mischievousness or not. Gratia dei sit tecum [God's grace be with you]. Martin Luther, v.