Response to No. 2734, On the Course of the Convention at Worms. News from Wittenberg.
Manuscript in Aurifaber, vol. III, p. 316; incomplete in Cod. Goth. 4. printed in Schlitze, vol. III, p. 156 and in De Wette, vol. V, p. 321 f.
Grace and peace in the Lord! I beg very indignantly, my dear Philip, because I have seen from your letter that our letters have not been delivered. But you germinate the customs and ways of the court, even Satan. I had certainly believed that you had received the four, namely after you had been idle at Worms, which are also written with my hand, only that I am in the habit of sending them to you alone and marked with your name. This is the fault of my carrier
2) Cf. no. 2716.
Letters from the year 1540. No. 2737.
I do not like to write to each and every one of you. We received the last letters from you yesterday, in which you write of the speech of Granvella (Granfelli), which we have also seen, and of the articles requested by you, which are Christian and could possibly be obtained, and of your answer. I rejoiced at the foolishness of the devil, that is, at the power of Christ, which makes them do and desire foolish things. If there was any hope for this conversation (because the preparation was so great), it has completely fallen away with me. What do you want? What shall we do? It must be either something deceitful or violent, what these people do and say, who are possessed by Satan, even though they pretend to be majestic, I do not want to say eugelian light. The Lord will, as He promised, give you His Spirit, for "it is not you who speak" [Matt. 10:20]. We pray and hope here that this conversation will be nothing. We have seen the emperor's edict here and are having it printed so that the emperor's will may be known to the world. Of course, at first sight I thought, as others did, that it was invented to disturb this discussion, but Satan's hatred is more satanic than that he could invent other things than those that he knows are harmful to us. For he perceives that against him shall not be invented, but that all things shall be done and said truly, assuredly, and eternally. Come, Lord Jesus, amen. Because the spirit of your mouth frightens the adversary, come also with the glorious appearance of your future, amen.
Here one does not stop with the execution of the arsonists. And Heinz von Wolfenbüttel (a Lupo Marsupio) becomes more hateful day by day by the grace of God. Everything is well in your houses, do not be worried. We send the printed confession of Robert Barns in England. 1) May the Lord bring you back in a short time and safe, because you do nothing there, who are omnipotent in Christ; because there is desert and emptiness (Thohu et Bohu [Gen. 1, 2.]), you will not leave the land.
1) In this volume, at the end of the year 1540.
make fruitful. Let them be Thohu and Bohu. In Christ we are able to do all things and greater things than he himself does; in the devil we are able to do nothing, therefore let us leave him. I hope that you and Caspar have gone through the New Testament. For without you we have dared to submit Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Isaiah and Jeremiah to print. 2) You will be hard pressed to find Ezekiel, which, as you know, I had to be ill with in the early days; perhaps the same will happen now if you do not return soon. Farewell and greet all of us. My mistress Käthe greets you respectfully. She brews Wittenberg beer, which will receive you when you return home. The Lord be with you, Amen. Tuesday after Nicolai [Dec. 7] 1540.
Your Martin Luther.
Note by Schütze: In some copies, with which this letter and the one of November 24 were compared, the following additions were found:
1. I have begun to suspect myself in something a very violent catarrh, because it also interrupted my sleep; today it has decreased again.
2 Everything is well in your houses; do not be anxious in this piece. God is with you. First of all, tell Doctor Cruciger not to be worried, to turn back to his home; I will absolve him. But whatever you do, seek first the kingdom of God; this will be yours.
My Lord Käthe greets you, but she is absent in her new kingdom and is wasting this year what is acquired. Greetings, I beg you, to all and sundry respectfully. You know that the coldness of my lazy old age and other things prevent me from writing to her. Fare well in Christ.
We have had our letters sent to Nuremberg, as you requested, so that they may be sent to you through Vitus, since the indolence and negligence of the court is so great.
2) He speaks of the edition of 1541, Wittenberg, by Hans Luft. It has on the title the distinction: "aufs neue zugericht". (De Wette.)
Letters from the year 1540. No. 2738 to 2742.
No. 2738.