Luther wishes him luck in recovering from his illness, and reports news.
Handwritten in Aurifaber, Vol. III, printed in Schütze, Vol. I, p. 208 and in De Wette, Vol. V, p. 470.
2) Instead of contemtis we have assumed contemti.
3) Instead of filium is to be read filiam, because he had only One daughter, the Elschen or the Elisabeth.
Letters from the year 1542. No. 2920. 2921.
Grace and peace! I was very sorry, my dear Jonas, when I read that you also suffered the evil of my illness in Schmalkalden, namely the urinary compulsion, and I thank your Lord who has delivered you. Furthermore, you must keep to a certain diet against such a treacherous enemy. I have a quite reliable remedy against it, our beer, which is very diuretic, the doctors call it diureticotata, in this respect it is the queen of all beers; then sparse wine consumption. Thanks for the quinces.
There is no news, except that Satan begins to be sure, since only slumbering and idle praying, which I assume from many things, then also from the fact that the pastor at Ronneberg 1) has begun to teach that baptism with warm water (with which the children are baptized when it is cold) is not a true baptism, because another element, namely fire, has been added, by which it is made warm, it is also not pure water. Behold the audacity of our assured enemy. I have little hope from the thousands of soldiers sent against the Turks, as well as from the whole campaign, unless God wants to perform miracles because of our truly cold prayers. Today we are supposed to have advanced with such decorated horses, as if we were traveling to a parade or a dance, not against the Turks. Fortune presses us, sins press us, and we are one against the other senseless with rage. Admonish, I beseech thee, thy Church, that it pray earnestly, that it pray fervently, that it pray continually. The wrath of God is greater than even we, the godly, believe, and nowhere is there repentance but indomitable tenacity. May God have mercy on us, amen. Greetings to all of ours. On Monday after Vocem Jucunditatis [May 15] Anno 1542. Yours, Martin Luther, D.
No. 2921.