Request whether it would be acceptable to the prince that M. Wendel, who admittedly had a wife, come to him to serve during the time of his death. Request for game pretzels for the wedding of M. Ambrosius Berndt with Luther's sister daughter, Magdalene Kaufmann.
First printed in 1830, after the original, in Lindner's "Mittheilungen," II, p. 56; in the Erlangen edition, vol. 56, p. 220 and in De Wette-Seidemann, vol. VI, p. 216.
To the illustrious, highborn Prince and Lord, Lord John, Prince of Anhalt, Count of Ascanien and Lord of Bernburg, my gracious Lord.
God and peace in Christ. Sublime, highborn prince, gracious lord! According to my next letter, I have been looking for a preacher. There is no one here without a wife. But there is one called Magister Wendel, who can leave his wife here in Wittenberg as long as he would serve E. F. G. at this time of his death. He is pious, learned and moral. If this would please E. F. G., I would like to see him serve E. F. G. in this. Hiemit GOtt befohlen, Amen.
I also ask quite humbly, where E. F. G. would have so much left over, wanted to give me a fresh boar or pig's head, because I am to settle my orphan, my sister's daughter, by midweek [Nov. 27], but that E. F. G. ever have no special trouble about it. I owe it to E. F. G. to serve him. Friday after St. Elisabeth [22 Nov.] 1538.
E. F. G.
Martinus Luther.
No. 2480.
To Nicolaus von Amsdorf in Magdeburg.
On the occasion of a plague in Magdeburg, Luther reflects on the fear of death and wishes that Amsdorf will not be infected by the plague.
Handwritten in Cod. Jen. B 24. n, fol. 159 and in Cod. Goth. 4 From the Schmid collection at Helmstädt in Schütze, vol. III, p. 79; in Strobel-Ranner, p. 274 and in De Wette, vol. V, pp. 133 f. German in Walch, vol. XXI, 1461.
Grace and peace in Christ! I, too, my dear Amsdorf, have certainly wondered very much what might have happened either to you or to yours that you wrote nothing to us. And after I learned that the plague was raging among you, I could not get any people through whom I could have written. Once I received a letter from you in the book against Schönitz (Antischeniciano) "vom Statthalter", but at that time I had no news of the plague. What you write, that people fear the plague so much at that time, I also experienced at the time of our plague those years ago. And I am surprised that the more abundant the preaching of life in Christ is, the greater is the fear of death among the people, be it that before, when they were under the pope, they feared death less in the false hope of life, but now that the true hope of life is held out to them, they realize how weak their nature is to believe in the overcomer of death, whether God tempts us through weakness and leaves us in fear, and thus Satan dares and is able to do more. For when we lived in the faith of the Pope, we were like the drunken, the drowsy, or rather like the frenzied, taking even the right death for life, since we did not know what death and the wrath of God were; now that the truth shines and we see the wrath of God more clearly, nature, awakened from sleep and frenzy, feels that its powers are nothing to bear death. Thus it comes that they fear more than before. Similarly, when we were in the priesthood, we not only did not feel sin, but stood secure in the presumption that it was righteousness. Now that the certainty has been taken away by the knowledge of sin, we are more afraid than we should be. There we went to the right as secure people where we should have been exceedingly fearful; now we go to the left as fearful where we should be secure. Therefore, in this case, I take comfort in the fact that Christ wants His power to be mighty in the weak [2 Cor. 12:9.]. For since we were strong, righteous and wise in the papacy, Christ's power was not only not made mighty, but was also extinguished.
Letters from the year 1538. No. 2480. 2481. 2482.
one did not know about her. To this I draw the word of the 71st Psalm [v. 9. Vulg.] and apply it thus: "Cast me not away in my old age, when my strength faileth, forsake me not." For I think that this last time is the old age of Christ, and the time of waning strength, that is, the highest and utmost attack of the devil, just as David in his last days would almost have been killed by the giant for lack of strength, if Abishai had not come to the rescue [2 Sam. 21:16. f.]. But I hope that you will experience that those who die fall asleep in faith in Christ, just as we have experienced here. And this it is that he said, "Forsake me not," and Christ, "My power is mighty in the weak." The living, to be sure, are afraid and weak, but those who are dying are immediately changed into others, and die, strong in the Lord. Now what can be a more just and better judgment than that the living should fear, the dying should become strong in Christ, that is, that as they are to be seven, they should feel themselves to be dying, and as they are to die, they should feel themselves to be such as shall retain the victory? I hope, I say, that not many of you will die in unbelief and despair, but that all, or at least most, will depart in the confession of Christ and with the testimony of the sacrament received, or rather will pass away, that is, through death into life. For this is how we saw it happen here from the smallest to the greatest, and I have indeed learned to sing with Paul almost during this entire year: f2 Cor. 6:9Z: "As those who die, and behold, we live." And the same says [1 Cor. 15:31], "By your 1) glory, I die daily." I certainly do not believe that Paul was wood or stone, that he should not have felt the fear of death or the power of death. And he does not speak of the agonies of others, but of his own agonies, since he says in the Epistle to the Corinthians [2 Cor. 11:22], "I have often been in agonies." This, however, was not for him a contemplation or reflection on death, but the feeling and the power of death itself, as if there were no hope of
1) With De Wette is to be read vestram according to the Vulgate.
of life would be there. For what is death, if one only considers it (speculative), other than a non-knowing and non-sensing of death?
But why was it necessary to write this to you in such detail? But I do not think like this for you, nor about you, but for your own and ours. And because you complain about your own, I did not want to conceal my thoughts from you in this case. By the way, I am not only concerned for you, but I pray very much that the Lord will not take you away. For you see how heavy my burdens are, since I am already an old man and exhausted in strength. For how much better it would be for me to be taken away while you are left after me in this service of the church, than that after you are taken away I should be left behind, who am so lonely and more miserable than the most wretched, since I am no longer able to do anything for lack of strength and because of old age, and I see that I should nevertheless do many things which I am not able to do. May the Lord rule and keep you for a long time, and may you pray to the Lord for me, that he will keep me in his kingdom with you, amen. On the day of Catharine [Nov. 25], Anno 1538.
No. 2481.