How to punish a girl who has blasphemed the sacrament and the preaching ministry; about elevation; about the delivery of logs (cf. No. 2931 and 2944).
The original is in Dessau (judging from its inscription, Spalatin received the letter only on January 9, 1543. sBnrkhardt.^). Handwritten in Cod. Jen. a, fol. 230. Printed by Buddeus, p. 276 and by De Wette, vol. V, 507. German by Walch, vol. XXI, 1321.
To the highly famous man, Mr. Georg Spalatin, the extremely faithful bishop of Altenburg and Meissen, his very dear brother in the Lord.
Grace and peace! I hold, my dear Spalatin, that the girl who, no doubt instigated by others, has mocked the Sacrament and the ministry of the Word, should be punished with imprisonment for about a month with meager food, so that she may learn not to blaspheme, as an example to others.
With the elevation of the sacrament you may do as you please. I do not want any rope to be laid in these neutral things. So I write, I have written and I will write to all who bother me daily with this question.
My Lord Käthe thanks you for the note. She also has others to whom she has put it, in order to see one day how everything is brought. In the meantime, your faithfulness is sufficient for lins, who will not suffer that we are deceived by these birds of prey, who have the administration. 2) Fare well in the Lord. On the day before Martinmas [10 Nov.] 1542. Yours, Martin Luther, D.
1) to drown. Walch: "I would have had them taken to a penitentiary".
2) Harpyias provinciales, by which are meant the Amtleute, Schösser etc.
Letters from the year 1542. No. 2960.
No. 2960.
To the Elector Johann Friedrich.
Concerns about whether the Protestants, who were in the minority both in the council and in the citizens of Metz, should be accepted into the Schmalkaldic League? Luther refuted this. Cf. Seckendorf, Hist. Luth. lib. III, p. 599.
The original is in the Weimar Archives, Reg. H, fol. 442, No. 158. Handwritten in Cod. chart. Goth.
451. 4 Printed in De Wette, vol. V, p. 508 and in the Erlangen edition, vol. 56, p. 34 f.
It is true that one potentate may help another in right matters, and may also unite for this purpose, as John says: as Christ died for us, so we are obliged to lay down our lives for our brothers, but each according to his state and profession: a preacher differently from a prince; a private person differently from a potentate; and it would be a vain thing if a private person from Germany wanted to run to France to save the poor Christians there against the rulers. For such works have their order and their measure, namely the office and possibility. Potestat should protect, but as far as possible, as Christ says [Luc. 11, 41]: Give eleemosyns from yours that you have, i.e. not higher than you are able. Subjects are to follow, preachers are to confirm their confession with their suffering, a private person, if it is made in particular, is to confess. There have also always been covenants on earth between saints and the wicked; but there has always been great driving, and the hardest wars on earth have been caused by covenants, as between Carthage and Rome, between Athens and Sparta etc. Abraham protected Sodoma as a neighbor and saved his brother, and was right in doing so; Solomon had an alliance with Hiram; Constantinus protected the Christians against Licinium, with whom he otherwise had an alliance, but was right in resisting public tyranny; Theodosius protected the young Valentinianum against pagan practices, and was right etc. On the other hand, covenants are often made among God's people, not only among pagans, who displeased God and did not prosper, as Israel and Judah clung to Egypt, then to Syria, then to Babylon, and yet they were not helped. For the heart must first be united with God,
and not rely solely on human help. So it is also more proper that the state should unite with the state in right matters than with private individuals, as with a part of the city, since the latter part may take cause from this to let in foreign people and to cause riots and murder. However, it is right for a government to help poor private individuals against public tyranny, if possible. But we have often seen how it is with foreign nations, England and France, and the same people are full of practices, and do not mean one thing they pretend, but seek all other advantages besides. Where the hearts are not equal in reason, and not directed to God, unstable alliances are always formed, as experience shows; and it is very much to be feared that the Popes in Metz will cause a riot by bringing foreign people into the city etc. Lotharing, Burgundy and the French have a good mind to do so, as it is known that the Lotharingians, over promised peace, 1) miserably killed 20,000 men in the peasants' clamor without need, and Lotharing and Burgundy will move much more easily, since the city is still divided, so that they can set foot in the city, and will pretend to save the oppressed party.
From all this it is easy to assume that it is much more annual to make an alliance with a part of the city than with the whole city. Therefore, the lords, who by the grace of God are themselves of high intellect and know the occasion much better than we do, want to consider for themselves: that it is strange and out of the ordinary to make an alliance with a part of a city; item, that it entails much more trouble and may give the city itself cause for unrest; item, how it is possible for us to save it; item, one must also consider here that one will have to deal with Lotharing, Burgundy and France. But we put all this to God, and ask the gentlemen themselves to think about how to moderate this action, so that those at Metz are not left without comfort.
E. C. F. G. subservient
1) That is, after peace was promised.
Letters from the year 1542. no. 2961. 2962.
No. 2961.
To the Elector Johann Friedrich.
About the marriage of Franz Zülsdorf. - After the banns had been issued, since the wedding was to take place in Cranach's house the next day, the Elector received a colored report in which objections were raised against this marriage. The Elector immediately wrote to the Consistory and to Luther, who immediately gave him this answer.
Pas original is in the Weimar Archives, Reg. O, pag. 623. Z 7. Printed by Burkhardt, p. 418.
G. u. F. in Christo and my poor pater noster. Most Serene, Highborn Prince, Most Gracious [Sir]! I have read E. C. F. G.'s writing Franz Zülstorf's half to the gentlemen of the Consistorii. Thereupon I humbly inform E. C. F. G. that it seems to me that such a report was ordered to E. C. F. G. from a malicious mind, because he kept silent for so long after being summoned, until it was indeed sent 1) on the wedding day, to the poor man's scorn and great harm. And what is even worse, E. C. F. G. was not informed that I, D. Martinus, together with the theologians and church servants pronounced the verdict in place of our pastor, as an honorable councilor will receive a copy from me, and perhaps send it to E. C. F. G.. For I have acted long and diligently in this matter, and would much rather have denied than granted the mead to Zülsdorf, where I would have had the right to do so. But since I searched a lot, it turned out that Franz had done everything behind his father's knowledge and will. It is said that three virgins were betrothed to him. But none of them wanted to confess or admit it. A widow in Lübeck had him addressed, since the council in Lübeck answered my three writings three times and sent testimony that 2) a betrothal had taken place, but they did not have his father's knowledge or will, which I personally heard from his mouth at his deathbed, which also showed me letters and seals that Doctor Brücke saw.
1) "has" put by us instead of: "until"; otherwise "until" would have to be deleted here.
2) These letters are all missing (Burkhardt).
and then said: let it be done that way, even though he said he would have heard it much differently. So Franz was also punished by the honorable council for such a transgression, and I ordered him, according to the gospel, to give the widow in Lübeck such a great insult, or he should not go to church. I had to pronounce such a sentence to remedy the matter, because our pastor was not at home, and the Consistory could not do anything either, regardless of the person, as we often have to be the Consistory's stopgap, which we would rather be exempt from. Herewith E. C. F. G. has the right report. Please, therefore, let E. C. F. G. give that false reporter a proper answer to his false reporting and dangerous silence of other circumstances. Hiemit dem lieben GOtte befohlen, Amen. Sunday Elisabethe [19 Nov.] 1542.
E. C. F. G.
subservient
Martinus Luther, D.
No. 2962.