Luther dissuades him from leaving Nuremberg because of the adversities and joins in his complaints about the evil times.
Handwritten in Wolfenbüttel in Cod. Helmst. Printed by Schütze, vol. II, p. 336 and by De Wette, vol. IV, p. 601.
To Mr. Wenceslaus Link, the servant of God at Nuremberg.
Grace and peace in Christ! Your letter was not so sad, my best Wenceslaus, as you might have thought, especially because I still noticed that Christ has not yet abandoned you, even though he allows you to be tempted. I am sorry that this tragedy is beginning again among you, but if both of you would consider that these things are not done by you, but by false tongues, that is, by Satan himself, then you could easily endure (devorare) and overcome these evils, even to Satan's chagrin. Perhaps we also do not knock enough on Christ's door with prayers, and this our laziness is thus punished. He does not sleep when we snore. You wouldn't believe how much pride and treachery of the nobles and peasants we have to endure and suffer, so that I am firmly convinced that you, if you were here, could bear the intrigues of our people less than you could bear the impetuous nature of a few people there. I think, yes, I am sure, that the papacy is the kingdom of the devil, which is sent into the world by the wrath of God. But no kingdom has been more suitable for the world. "The world wants to have the devil for a god." I now see the causes why GOD allowed this abomination to rise and exalt itself above all that is GOD: "the world wants it so." And once the bishops were anxious to 2) suppress tyranny, but with all too frightening counsel.
1) According to a copy of Pf. Nopitsch, De Wette has adopted the wrong reading tres instead of tertias, and immediately following et instead of hoc est. - Cf. St. Louis edition, vol. XIX, 874, note 1.
2) De Wette: Et coegerunt Episcopos olim cogitare; whereas Ms. Nopitsch: cogitarunt Episcopi. We have assumed the latter.
strikes. For since they wanted to force the tyrants, they at the same time suppressed the Church of God. Now the tyranny has begun again, and if God would allow it, spirits would arise again who would bind the tyrants with the same chains as the popes did. But I will not be in the council of such people, but will be a participant of those who fear and tolerate God, and will rather be punished with death than that I should seek such a kingdom, for our kingdom is in heaven (sursum). I write this to indicate to you my heart, which is like your heart, namely, that you may not leave this church. Remember the word of Paul in the superscription to Titus [Cap. 1, 1.]: "According to the faith of God's elect," and again Matth. 24, 22.?]: "All things for the elect's sake." These, I ask, look upon and despise all other people. You are a servant of God's elect, and a spectacle of those whom God has rejected. What is it to us, where the rejected go, if we can serve only the elect and the least brothers of Christ? Therefore, my dear Wenceslaus, carry as much as you can to the end. And although nowadays there is no one I would rather have with me, not only for the sake of the old brotherhood, but also because I have always had you as a comforter and as a man full of confidence, and would prefer to see you with me at my death, I would rather put my profit behind than see the harm of that church. Who knows what fruit God wants to bring forth from this challenge? He makes everything out of that which is not seen, out of nothing, out of opposite things, out of that which deprives us, out of that which is against us: "He is unbound"; let us only pray, and send ourselves to patience.
You want my verdict that the prince has negotiated with you to return to us. How? if I were to join you myself or go into exile? The prince is very good, because of him I have no doubts. But apart from the prince, there is no one (that I know of) who would not be suspicious to us (I am talking about the commanders), and you can
From this, measure how great the love and zeal for the Word is in the world. In the meantime, I pray that you will pray this Psalm [Ps. 40], "I wait for the Lord." "Alas! it will not be otherwise than" through honor and dishonor (2 Cor. 6, 8.], through aversions and errors, through good and evil things, through, "and but[mals]" through, devils and angels, through good and evil to the One who alone is good and without evil. Therefore I beseech thee, my dear brother, hear no man, but let the sole conversation be between him and thee. Though others may be very good men, yet it may happen that they have less patience than strict justice. For we are all men, and the flesh lusteth against the Spirit. Further, if the matter should come to the point that he should either publicly spite your person or pant through it, then it will be time for another remedy. "Oh help us God, how very strong God lets the devil be, and makes us so very weak!" Take this in the best way, and remember that we may be tempted by God, then that trusting in man (even if it were a prince) is not godly; and again that fearing man is a disgrace for a Christian, not to say godless. Christ, our life, salvation and glory, be with you and with all ours, Amen. On Sunday Cantate [April 25] Anno 1535.
Your Martin Luther.
No. 2129.