140 a. Luther's letter to the provost and canons of Wittenberg. *)
March 1, 1523.
Translated from Latin.
Grace and peace. Esteemed and worthy gentlemen! The cause of the Gospel, with which Christ has gloriously endowed us in this place, compels me, through this letter of mine, to present my humble request to Your Worshipfulness (since it was not convenient to do something personally), which I ask Your Worshipfulness to accept in kindness for the sake of Christ. Now that one and the other has departed from your midst, and especially the one 1) for whose sake we have tolerated for more than a year that which in your church and in your service is contrary to our Gospel, the weakness of the friends has yielded enough, and I see that this toleration gives many cause for stubbornness and mockery of the Gospel, so that necessity and the time require that I must finally resign my office. Therefore I admonish E. W. according to the rule of the gospel
1) The dean D. Lorenz Schlamau. Cf. Walch, old edition, vol. XXI, 826, ยง 3.
first of all in particular and demand that they work together and see to it that everything is abolished that cannot be tolerated as an abomination against the gospel and yet has been tolerated up to now. For it is not proper, and henceforth cannot be hidden from E. W., what is publicly done in that place [the collegiate church], Christian or un-Christian, since the gospel has been made known in so many sermons and books. Boys and girls and almost also unreasonable people know this, and my conscience will not let me remain silent any longer because of the office entrusted to me. So E. W. may now do of their own free will what, as they know very well, must be done so that I am not put in the necessity to attack you publicly. E. W. enjoy with us this city, the air and all things, therefore they must consider that it is no longer convenient for us to continue with you in the traditional way.
*This letter is found in Latin in Aurifaber, vol. II, p. 126 and in De Wette, vol. II, p. 308. This and the next following letter are found in German in the Wittenberg edition, vol. IX, p. I78b; in the Jena edition, vol. II, p. 258 b; in the Altenburg edition, vol. II, p. 355 and in the Leipzig edition, vol. XVIII, p. 496. This proof of the German editions is missing in De Wette. We have translated according to the latter, taking into account the improvements given in Burkhardt, Briefwechsel, p. 55.
To make us partakers of abominations which are set up against the gospel, which commands to avoid the brethren who do not abide in the saving words of our Lord. It must therefore either be this