Answer to the previous letter, Luther expresses his displeasure about the behavior of the Augsburgers against M. Joh. Förster and the Concordie.
According to the original found by archivist Herberger in the city archives of Augsburg, reported in the twelfth annual report of the histor. Kreis-Verein für den Regierungsbezirk von Schwaben und Neuburg für das Jahr 1846, p. 71; in the Erlangen edition, vol. 56, p. 213 and in De Wette-Seidemann, vol. VI, p. 206. From a copy in the Leipzig Supplement, p. 85; in Walch, vol. XXI, 412 and (duplicate) 1458; in De Wette, vol. V, p. 124 and in the Erlangen edition, vol. 55, p. 209.
To the honorable, prudent mayors and builders as ordered war and secret councilors of Augsburg, my favorable good friends.
God and peace in Christ! What E. Ehrbarkeit and F. only wrote from Magister Johann Forster, I leave this time in its value; because I am not the judge of the things, so you will know well to keep your conscience, because I cannot nor will not defend him, where he would excuse himself. So order all this to his judge; but I have heard with a saddened mind that the accident by the devil has thus occurred between you.
But I am highly complained about your writing. And where you yourselves or your preachers want to write or speak so much about Concordia, as your writing reports, then no good game should come of it; for I respect that no one can speak of Concordia with truth, nor will I suffer it. It is therefore my friendly request that you yourselves and your preachers refrain from such talk, and consider how this necessary poor Concordia has been kindled with great effort and work, cost and diligence by many people of high standing and learned people. Should the fire be blown up again, and the last become worse than the first, then you must answer for it from Augsburg, that I have warned you herewith quite faithfully, but for the sake of the unreasonable patience of the matter, I will first let it reach D. Capito and M. Butzer, whether they could or would act in this, before we cause the papists a new fool's delight. Yours Michel
Letters from the year 1538. No. 2456 to 2460.
No. 2457.