(Regest.)
The Elector considers further settlement in the disputed religious matter, as happened at Worms, to be urgently necessary, and asks Luther to read the document compiled about it, which he communicates to him "confidentially", and to give a judgment on it. He asks him not to add glosses to the edict published by the emperor in Brabant, at least not yet. - The document sent by the Elector is the so-called "Regensburg Interim," St. Louis edition, vol. XVII, 581, no. 1369.
From a copy in Cod. Galli I, p. 4, in Corp. Ref., Vol. IV, 92 f. and in Neudecker's "Merkwürdige Actenstücke", Abtheilung I, p. 255.
No. 2750.
Concerns about Bucer's "Register".
This concern is placed over the aforementioned writing of Bucer, which contains proposals of settlement for the unification of Protestants and Catholics.
Luther's own handwritten original is in the Weimar Archives, Reg. H, fol. 41. Printed in De Wette-Seidemann, vol. VI, p. 279.
On the directory of D. Buceri, this is my discretion:
Because they confess and admit the main things, such as justification, both forms, the abortion of the corner masses, the marriage of priests, and monasticism, it may well be called a comparison with us. For these are our main pieces, and has especially
Letters from the year 1541. no. 2750. 2751.
the common people herewith enough besides the ordinary ceremonies, which are not cultus, of it otherwise and elsewhere. For these two things, justificatio and the sacrament, have hindered everything up to now, because the people do not ask anything about the marriage of priests and corner masses or what concerns the clergy. But the two new ceremonies with the daily parish mass without communicants and the public punishments may be left to the conscience of those who want to use them. The people can well do without them and be saved by Word and Sacrament without them, and are not obliged to accept the new way with them. So we cannot take it upon ourselves or our churches, nor confirm it.
It would also be advisable for them that such new ways of parish masses and public punishments were not written down or sealed, but started beforehand by verbal command or permission, so that one tried beforehand how and whether it would be suitable or not. For there is a great difference between imagining something and putting it into effect. And it might happen that one would not find priests who wanted to say such mass, nor people who wanted to suffer such punishment. For essays are easy to make. But if there are not people who accept it or have the will to do so, the effort with seals and letters would be in vain, and the last would be worse than the first. [Afterwards it would have to be changed, heard with scorn and ridicule, that we had given things inconstantly and uncertainly, especially because such ceremonies, both now and before, have never been in use in such a way. Therefore, let them try it beforehand, but on their conscience, if it turns out to be right, it may be put in writing.
For this is one of the graces of our confession, that it therefore tells how things went and stood in our church before and after, as if one were hearing a history and not an essay or commandment. And where it would have been before, before it was in the work, who knows when and how much of it would have come into the work? So they may also bring it into work beforehand (those who want it), and try how it will turn out, then write about it, set it and place it, but nevertheless let the glory go, that they have with us
are compared, because the pope does not want to do anything about the matter, and they would be forced to advise themselves. For the comparison is not in the ceremonies, but in the substantials and main parts.
But above all, the best advice would be to set up good preachers who would diligently bring such main points to the people. The ceremonies would have to follow this. Because if the man stands well, the dress also stands well. Otherwise, if the preachers and sermons are not appointed first, the ceremonies cannot be fruitful; the cornerstone must first be laid and then built upon.
No. 2751.