Luther has not yet received the 500 gülden that Mrs. Jörger wanted to send for the support of poor students of theology. He sends the desired will form.
From v. Hormayr's Taschenbuch 1845, p. 190, in the Erlangen edition, vol. 53, p. XXIX and in De Wette- Seidemann's vol. VI, p. 138.
To the noble, virtuous woman Dorothea Jörgerin, widow at Keppach, my favorable good friend.
Grace and peace in Christ. Noble virtuous woman! As you wrote to me the next time and the same time about the 500 fl. that you enclosed in God's honor, I let you know that I had certain faithful people from Nuremberg in Linz demand it in response to your first letter and sent your handwriting along with it for greater faith. But what has come in between, I do not know. They have nothing to say about money or gold in Linz. Have we therefore sent your manuscript back in vain, or to Nuremberg to the city syndic, Mgr. Lazarus Spengler, from whom I certainly have it, either there at Nuremberg, or to be invested elsewhere; for it is my judgment that it should not be distributed individually, but annually, and that it should be used to help two persons and to order them to study in theology. But all this at your pleasure. Hiemit GOtt befohlen, Amen. On the new anniversary of 1533.
Send you a note or form, as reported by Mgr Michael Stiefel, that you should request. Will take it for good.
Your willing
D. Martinus Luther.
A Notel on the Form of a Christian Will for the Noble Lady Dorothea
Jörgerin, widow.
In the name of our dear Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. I, Dorothea Jörgerin, Lord Wolfgang Jörger, blessed knight, widow of the estate, make and establish my last will and testament, for the confession of my faith and for the testimony of my life, in the following manner:
Letters from the year 1533. No. 1950d.
First of all, I confess that I also want to remain (with God's help and grace) that I believe in God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus 2c. usque in finem. By this faith my dear Lord Jesus Christ has graciously taught me that I know how I am redeemed from sins, death and hell by His blood and death alone, and have not been able to pay for the lesser sins by my works or merit, but the more I have done to redeem sin or indulgence, the more I have angered God and despised His Son. And I am sorry that I have lain so long and deep in my own works of righteousness and other sins and blasphemies of my Lord Jesus Christ, blinded and deceived, but I am glad and thankful to him from the bottom of my heart for eternity, that he has delivered and relieved me from so many great errors, in which I am stuck, and still daily protects me from the false groups and spirits. And upon such faith and knowledge I have received from him, as a sign and assurance of such forgiveness of sins and redemption from death, the two seals or consort of baptism in my childhood, and moreover the holy sacrament of his body and blood, so that I have become certain and need not doubt, He is my gracious God and I am in grace before Him through His dear Son, our Lord, and not through my merit or good works, for I heartily and earnestly reject and renounce the blasphemy of Anabaptists and deceivers against these two holy sacraments, together with all error that strives, ever strived or may strive against this faith of mine, for such faith is the faith of all the saints and of all Christendom, and so I believe with them, and they (with) me, and by the same faith all have become holy and blessed with me, and I with them, and there is no other name nor faith in which one can become holy and blessed, but apart from this faith all is sin and condemned, it is called and glorified as holy it may be. In this: I commit my soul and spirit into the hands of my Lord Jesus Christ, and pray with all my heart that he will strengthen me in this and keep me firm and undefiled until the day of his coming, for I want to leave such a confession behind me, and
Then I will depart from this pitiful valley and come to my end, helped by my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with the Father and the Holy Spirit, praised and blessed be one God forever and ever, amen.
Secondly, I command, leave and provide, as much as is due to my motherly office, the same Gospel and faith to my dear children, so that God may now graciously and abundantly bless us, and I ask and admonish them out of all motherly faithfulness (so that I may also gladly hand them over to my God as my spiritual children), that they would seek Him above all things, the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, to remain firm in the Gospel, to promote and increase it with all their heart, both among themselves and among their people and wherever they can, and to be careful that mammon is not dearer to them than not to partake of and enjoy the holy blood of Christ, for everything that is deprived of the blessing that the blood of Christ sprinkles upon us through His holy Gospel is eternally cursed and maligned before God.
Thirdly, I also urge them and command them in accordance with their motherly duty to hold fast to brotherly love and unity, and not to be moved by one against the other to ill-will, discord or disfavor, but whether there is cause for displeasure by words or deeds, For God, who does not lie, says Himself that brotherly love and unity are the greatest treasure on earth, and He wants to give happiness and salvation there, as He promises in Psalm 133. For there is no good nor wealth so great that it does not finally dissolve where the brothers are divided, as Christ himself says that a kingdom perishes when it is divided among itself. Again, the good is not so small where people live together in unity; it must grow and be increased. All this is the reason why God promises blessing, happiness and salvation in the above Psalm where brothers live together. He does this and keeps it. Again, he gives vain curses, misfortune and destruction, where people live disunited, hopeful and proud among themselves.
Fourthly, although my dear daughters have granted themselves against my dear sons
Letters from the year 1533. no. 1950d. 1951. 1952.
I have the right to divide the maternal goods, but because I have the power to ordain in their life, it is my will and opinion (to avoid future cause for impatience or disagreement as much as possible) that these maternal goods be divided equally.
Doctor Martinus' manuscript.
No. 1951.