Luther tries to persuade him that he must keep the double marriage secret for his own good.
The original is in the Court and State Archives at Kassel. Printed in Niedners Zeitschrift für die historische Theologie 1852, Heft II, p. 275 and in De Wette-Seidemann, Vol. VI, p. 273.
G. and F. in Christ. Sublime, highborn prince, gracious lord! I have received E. F. G.'s writing, which, as it seems to me, is written out of an agitated mind, so that I am not aware that I should have deserved it. For as far as it seems to me, E. F. G. want to understand this trade as if we were doing it for our own sake, and not to degenerate E. F. G. to faithful subservient service, to E. F. G. in the future. Therefore, I hereby want to inform F.F.G. out of the right reason of my heart that I do not ask and warn so diligently against the revelation of the advice for my sake; F.F.G. should take it with pleasure and not doubt that it is not to be done for my sake. Even if all devils would have revealed the counsel, [I] still want to know how to answer them by God's grace, that they should have nothing against me.
For I have the advantage that E. F. G. and all the devils themselves must testify and confess to me: first, that it is a secret counsel; second, that I have asked with all diligence that it not be revealed; third, if it comes to pass, I am sure that it is not revealed through me. As long as I have these three pieces, I will not counsel the devil himself to take my pen.
God will help me. I know well by God's grace to distinguish between what may be yielded by grace in distress of conscience before God, and what is not right before God in external being on earth apart from such distress. And don't like that E. F. G. should only get into the feather fight, E. F. G. have enough to do otherwise, and I do too.
But this is the reason why I cannot and will not (as far as possible) let E. F. G. get into trouble, because they are in the confession with me, and I acknowledge my guilt as a Christian to advise and serve his neighbor to the best of his ability.
For if E. F. G. reveals the advice right away, I don't care. But E. F. G.'s search is not achieved with it, and nothing is accomplished, except that E. F. G. makes things all the worse for E. F. G.'s own neck, so that we cannot help E. F. G. out of it again, however much we would like to and would like to.
For E. F. G. will not be able to maintain that the world should accept such E. F. G. secret marriage for a public marriage, if they would present as many as a hundred Luthers, Philipses and others. They will say that Luther and Philipps do not have the power to set otherwise against public and praiseworthy law, although they are secretly guilty of advising otherwise for the sake of conscience.
Since it must also happen in the world in such a way that no court must intervene in a foreign court, otherwise it would remain a desolate being and no court. In Saxon law, thieves are hanged; in Roman and Muslim law, they are not hanged, and many other such things. And yet God wants both of these repulsive laws to be considered law. How much more will he in this case want to have held the secular law against digamiam, and yet in koro [conscientiae] 1) have left his hands untied, diagamiam for necessary reasons against the secular law.
Where now E. F. G. wants to go from God's judgment (who gives way with grace to necessity) into man's judgment through the revelation of the counsel, then E. F. G. must also be of human origin.
1) The word missing here is said to have become illegible in the original (Seidemann).
The right to suffer punishment without the protection and help of divine judgment, in which the F.F.G. are not included. For the sake of E. F. G.. God will not let the judgment of man, which he confirms, be torn apart, even if he has shown mercy in his judgment. And our doctrine freely confesses that we not only want to leave worldly rights unhindered (if they are not against God), but also want to help promote them.
From this follows, where E. F. G. wants to stand on the revelation of the advice, that finally E. F. G. must do away with the metre again as a whore, or crawl again into this secret advice. It would be just as much with honor now as with shame afterwards.
And what do E. F. G. fight about that, that they do not want to consider the Metze a whore? They must suffer now, before the counsel is revealed, that she is a whore before all the world, even though before the three of us, 2) that is, before God, she is considered no different than a conjugal concubine. What is it then, that E. F. G. must suffer such cries any longer, with a good conscience, out of which necessity (as we believe) such happens, that in E. F. G.'s conscience she is not a whore? F. G.'s conscience she is not a whore.
I am writing all of this so that E. F. G. may hear that it is really not about me, who knows well to turn me out where it comes to the pen and to leave E. F. G. in. F. G. inside, which I do not want to do, because I cannot avoid it. For I do not intend to leave E. F. G. in this matter, as much as my mind and life are able, not only for E. F. G.'s sake, but also for E. F. G.'s sake. F. G. alone, but for the sake of the whole Confession, which is highly burdened with this matter.
Therefore, E. F. G. does not worry how they do not want to let me out of the council, but much more, how they do not push me out violently with such a way.
E. F. G. also wanted to think again how difficult it would be for the pious people, whom we otherwise plagued by the devil and all the world, to take such aversions upon themselves. For where a
2) This is before the landgrave, Luther and Melanchthon. For the secret Rathschlag (No. 2610) was signed only by the latter two. Bucer and the Hessian theologians had added their names only later.
Letters from the year 1540. No. 2693. 2694.
Each one wants to carry out what he desires and put it on the pious pile, which does not want to last long, because it is fair and right what they should help to carry and suffer, that they also have to be consulted beforehand, and their will and opinion be found out.
That E. F. G. also finally indicates how the emperor, attacked in our attack, might be enraged by revelation, I hope it is not E. F. G. serious, would not help E. F. G. things. And if it were serious, I would want to attack the emperor not only from his actions, but also from the Scriptures, and read the text: Omnis homo mendax, Et nolite confidere in principibus. For he who rages against God's truth is easily a liar and a false man to reproach, which he would also have to suffer. Therefore, such E. F. G. advertisements do not move me at all, that I should bear the revelation of the counsel, which happens without my knowledge and will.
I happily read that E. F. G. jokes with me about how we theologians take what we like. But it is not our fault that you princes do not take what you like. Why do you not do otherwise? So I also hope that E. F. G. himself will learn from dear Metze: if there is nothing more to be gained from a beautiful woman than the puddle, or as they say: short pleasures, long displeasure, then it would not be possible to stay married for long, or to start a new one. It is God's will that either children come from this merry work, or fornication be avoided; otherwise I no longer know what the beautiful helps more.
But I sincerely pray that God will not be suspicious of me, as if I let myself be incited against God. I mean it from my heart, God knows that, and out of great concern that I bear for God; if God does not believe it, they will probably find out in the end, and then thank me in vain. So I can truly see that my most gracious Lord is equally serious and that all of us are faithfully advising and helping E. F. G..
Since E. F. G. apologizes, they were fond of the mead before, also probably other before
That serves nothing for the matter. For the choice should be free, and no one denies E. F. G. to love in the way E. F. G. writes. But it is nevertheless true that I myself read that one of E. F. G.'s good friends wrote that the landgrave would not persuade anyone to take a wife for the sake of his conscience.
Now consider, E. F. G., if our best friends speak such things, what will the enemies speak? For such speech will have the effect of nullifying our counsel, and those who will not let it go may say: Doctor Martinus believed that it was impossible to believe, and deceived himself and gladly let himself be deceived, if we still believe that E. F. G. was serious, and in secret confession do not let E. F. G. think of making such high and renewed words false.
Summa, I still ask E. F. G. to let the advice remain secret, and to let the speeches muddle along and to drink up, also to withdraw what can be withdrawn, so that the annoyance, which does not want to be defended, is quieted, because I do not see how E. F. G. can be urged to the revelation. And because E. F. G. does not allow himself to give an ambiguous answer where it should be, it is just as much said as that E. F. G. did not want to boast of the mead before the world. Thereby E. F. G. can well remain eternally and always be ambiguous, so it would send itself in a short time by God.
Herewith I command E. F. G. to the dear God, because I mean it faithfully, what I want to advise my own soul.
Saturday after M[ariä] Magdalenä [July 24] 1540.
E. F. G.
Martinus Luther, D.
No. 2694.