Luther consoles him in his tribulations. Of the fear of the people during the alleged plague in Wittenberg.
Handwritten in Aurifaber, vol. III, p. 285. Printed in Schütze, vol. III, p. 115 and in De Wette, vol. V, p. 225.
Grace and peace in Christ! The Lord comfort you, my dear Cordatus, who is the Comforter of all in all tribulation, as it is written [Ps. 34:20], "The righteous suffereth much, but the Lord helpeth him out of all," and [Ps. 50:15.] "Call upon me in trouble, and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me."
1) This passage proves that "the articles" were not sent from England to the Elector, as Seckendorf assumes, but that the envoys had brought them with them, as we have already noted in our edition, Vol. XIX, Introduction, p. 32 d, Note 3.
But our suffering is nothing compared to that of which we daily say, though with little attention: "Suffered under Pontius Pilate, crucified, died and buried, descended into hell" 2c. Our tribulation, death, hell is that of men, that is, of sinners; that is that of the Son of God, whose death and suffering, by their greatness (if we believed it), should rightly so fill and overwhelm our hearts, ears, eyes, even heaven and earth, that we would hardly feel our death (word) from afar, if there were many thousands of deaths, or rather we would feel nothing. But the weakness of faith is too great, otherwise what is it that a man dies, who is subject to sin and death, in view of the Son of the living God, the righteous and innocent, who is worthy of eternal life, and worthy alone. St. Peter therefore rightly commands us [1 Ep. 4:1.] to arm ourselves with the same mind in our temptations, that though we have suffered all things, we may know that we have suffered nothing in comparison with that sufferer. But Christ is richer in these things in you with His Spirit; in Him you are well.
The plague has not been here, but a pestilence. Since this is over, everything is safe as long as God wills. Admittedly, there was also a not insignificant lack of mercy of the relatives against their relatives, so that I was tormented extraordinarily, and almost took out more than I had to. It is at this time a strange and new pestilence, since Satan, when he wounds a few with the pestilence, throws down all with incredible fear and flight, something quite monstrous and a new kind [of pestilence] under the gospel which shines so mightily. But you also pray for us. On Saturday after Elizabeth [Nov. 22] 1539. Yours, Martin Luther.
No. 2602.
The Elector Johann Friedrich to Luther.
(Regest.)
The Elector agrees that Thesander be sent to the Duke of Liegnitz in Major's place. Cf. No. 2596.
From the Weimar Archives, Reg. O, fol. 132. n. 5, reprinted in Burkhardt, p. 337.
Letters from the year 1539. No. 2603. 2604. 2605.
No. 2603.