Luther answered the preachers in Frankfurt, who had turned to him for advice on what they should do, since the bishop of Mainz wanted the mass restored: since they themselves were not in agreement, he did not know the conditions in Frankfurt, and had no good hope for the gospel there, he could not give them any advice.
2) Instead of Augusti we have assumed Augustini; Augustin Himmel was pastor in Colditz.
3) D. Bleikard Sindringer. De Wette vermuthet: Burkhardus.
4) namely the Bible, cf. no. 2183. - Walch notes: "[read] without doubt in the flax (gäthen)".
Letters from the year 1535. no. 2190. 2191.
From the original in Frankfurt in Ritter's Evang. Denkmal der Stadt Frankfurt, p. 224 and in De Wette, vol. IV, p. 650. German in Walch, vol. XXI, 1437.
To the highly respectable and worthy men, the faithful servants of the church at Frankfurt, his brothers who are exceedingly dear to the Lord.
Grace and peace, in Christ! I have received your letter and your letter that you handed over to the council, worthy men. And what shall I do, who until this day have been uncertain both about the state of your church and about the will of the council? I thought that Cellarius was expelled, Dionysius dismissed, and I saw that you all still disagree among yourselves: since my ignorance is so great, I can determine nothing among you as an arbiter. It has indeed pleased me your admonition to the council, which is too strong for them to follow, as I understand from their letter. What shall I advise, if they (as they say) cannot do what you teach? Let them therefore do what they can or will. For I am suspicious of many, even in other places, who, after the gospel has been lost and the church servants have been expelled, nevertheless want to preserve the freedom of the gospel that they have gained. That is, the world wants to be papist (papistare) and epicurean with contempt for all religions of all people. Now even the papists despise the pope through the gospel, only that they worship the pope in a masquerade of the theater, as it were, for the sake of appearances and because they have other things in mind. Again, they despise the Gospel, but under a different pretense: "But I have bought a country house, I have taken a wife, I cannot come. What can be done here but to let those be unclean who are unclean, and those who err, and let the deceivers become worse? "They will have it so." Act ye faithfully, and, as Jude saith, pluck as it were out of the fire them which ye can; them which ye cannot, let them burn, and be not grieved of them. What more can ye do, if ye also would rend yourselves? You will not bring the whole heap to Christ, but only the firstfruits and the rest, or the rest of the heap.
No. 2191.