Of Luther's sickliness. Consolation over the loss of Jonas' wife. About the unhappy Turkish war.
Handwritten in Aurifaber, Vol. III, p. 409. Printed in Schütze, Vol. I, p. 253 and in De Wette, Vol. V, p. 533.
To the highly famous man, Mr. Justus Jonas, Doctor 2c... Probst zu Wittenberg, Gesandner des HErrn zu Halle in Sachsen, his superior.
Grace and peace! These days I have suffered from my head, my dear Jonas, so that I could neither read nor write. And even now I must not burden myself with many things, so I have not been able to read your translation sufficiently. I believe that you are becoming more distressed from day to day, since, now that the torpor is receding, you are beginning to feel more desire for the exceedingly lovely company of your very good wife. But it must be borne what cannot be changed. And he who is the Savior of God [Luc. 1, 47.] will also heal this wound of yours, amen.
There is no news here, except that from all parts of the world the worst rumors are spreading about the Margrave of Brandenburg because of the war waged in Hungary. And there is no better talk about Ferdinand himself. There are so many, and indeed probable, reasons of proof, to such an extent that I can hardly refrain from believing myself that everything was carried out with a frightening and exceedingly ruinous treacherousness, and that God alone prevented that something even worse did not happen. Oh about the raging frenzy that is full of all devils. But the messenger hurried, and I wanted to write little. Other things at another time. Be well in the Lord. Friday after Paul's conversion [26 Jan.] 1543. Martin Luther, D.
To Georg von Harstall, Amtmann, and the
Mayor and council of Creuzburg.
That pastors should not be deposed because they punish public vices.3)
3) Burkhardt remarks on the situation: "For four to five years, the municipality of Creuzburg had already been in contact with the Pre
The original is in the Weimar Archives, Reg. LI, pag. 39, N. 32. 1. Printed in the Wittenberg edition (1559), vol. XII, p. 208d; in the Jena edition (1562), vol. VIII, p. 106 b; in the Altenburg, vol. VIII, p. 274; in the Leipziger, vol. XXII, p. 422; in Walch, vol. X, 1886. In the editions mentioned so far with the contents as the heading, but in the ones that now follow: "An einen gewissen Stadtrath!" In Hummel's "Bibliothek seltener Bücher", vol. II, p. 351; in De Wette, vol. V, p. 534; in the Erlangen edition, vol. 56, p. 46 and in the St. Louis edition, vol. X, 1624. Burkhardt has found the original and in his "Luthers Briefwechsel", p. 422, has included the most essential variants, which concern not only individual words, but several times entire passages. Therefore, we share the letter here once again, improved according to the original.
Grace and peace in the Lord. (Strictly?) Wise, dear gentlemen, good friends! I have recently written to you, Captain, and asked that you let your pastor come from you in kindness. For I did not hear the things differently, as if he had acted wrongly and had been deposed by the Visitatoribus. Now I am told by the visitators that he has not committed any offense, nor do they want to have him deposed, nor do they want to have him deposed, but they give him testimony that he is pure in doctrine and unpunishable in life, but if you have cast a grudge against him, that he has severely punished the vices, therefore you intend to depose him. From this I realize that here the devil would like to cause misfortune and lead you into great harm, which moves me to do this writing to you, and I ask you very kindly to accept it amicably (as I faithfully mean) for your good.
Georg Spenlein, because he had often been guilty of unseemly outbursts in the pulpit against individuals as well as against the municipal regiment. Especially in these: Especially in these years, Spenlein had wielded the scourge against the disorderly life of individuals, and allowed himself expressions that may have been too strong even in the face of the rough customs of that time. Thus he did not refrain from calling the riflemen, who did not attend church on Sundays because of late children's lessons, because they otherwise could not come to shoot, and who were still drinking late, "long revengers, thieves and treacherous villains". He asked in the sermon: "Let the plumb line" (lead) "go out to the bushes and shoot them in the mouth, wet and head", and if this did not happen, "let them die a lingering death" 2c. There was a whole register of such remarks, which prompted the council to remove the preacher and ask for the appointment of another.
1) In the newer editions: "Gestrengen", but among those addressed there is only one nobleman to whom this title belongs, namely the Amtmann, or, as he is called here, the "Hauptmann" Georg von Harstall. See Luther's letter to Justus Menius of May 8, 1543.
I hope you will have so much Christian understanding that a ministry, a preaching office and the gospel are not ours, nor of any man, nor of any angel, but of God our Lord alone, who purchased it for us with his blood, gave it to us and endowed it for our salvation. Therefore He judges the despisers harshly and says (Luc. 10,16.): "He who despises you despises Me"; and it would have been better for him if he had never heard it, says St. Peter, 2 Epist. 2, 21.
Because the two excellent men, Mr. Jobst and Mr. Friedrichs) Visitatores, who must give account for it, both testify, and one must believe them that your pastor teaches the right, pure word of God, and is honest life, which also the city Creuzburg and neighbors testify: Behold, dear lords and friends, how the evil spirit seeks you so cunningly and maliciously, that you should offend the supreme pastor and bishop, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who, out of great and special grace, communicates to you his Word and Sacrament, that is, his blood, death and suffering, so purely and abundantly through his Irish, pious servant, your pastor; how the wicked devil cannot suffer that you should be saved!
So you also have to consider this, because there is no other cause and guilt, than that you have cast a grief on him, without his merit, even for his great merit and faithful preaching, that it is not to be done nor possible zero, for the sake of your grief and wrongful presumption, to do violence and injustice to such a well-respected pastor, and to throw him with dirt. I cannot blame the visitators that they do not do such things, nor do they want to weigh down their consciences with such injustice for the devil's sake, and go to the devil with you (where they approved of your authority). Be careful, dear lords and friends, be careful: if the devil brings you to this case, he will not leave it at that, but will continue to fall.
This case is that you should despise and hate your pastor without cause, that is, despise Christ himself, the chief of all pastors: then you will strike yourselves against the stone,
2) "Jobst" is Justus Menius, "Friedrich" is Myconius.
Letters from the year 1543. No. 2990.
and burn them in the consuming fire. For he is more interested in a faithful, pure pastor than in all such unbelievers, officials, mayors, judges, or even in the whole world with all its authority, power and honor. For their office (where they are not Christians) serves him nothing for his kingdom of heaven, as the parish office does, nor has it been bought so dear (with his blood) as the parish office. With this case he brings it to the point that he closes your heart and mouth, so that you do not believe, do not pray, do not praise, 1) nor do you lift up your hanpt before God in any trouble, as he says Matth. 5, 24: Leave your sacrifice and make atonement for yourself first. With that you would no longer be Christians, you would have banished and condemned yourselves; that would be terrible.
After that he will work it so that he will overthrow your own sin with great foreign sins, namely, that you should oust your innocent pastor, so that the church will become desolate, and children and other pious people will remain deprived of the word, baptism or sacrament, and, as much as is beyond you, must also be damned with you. That would be much worse than the pope's rule; how will you answer for that? Moreover, if the common man and the dear youth would see such a horrible example, that learned, pious priests would be rewarded for their effort and faithful service with dirt and shame, who would want to send a child to school? Who wants to study with his food? Where are we going to get parish priests?
Yes, this damage the devil seeks through such your and your like's willfulness. How much better it would be to be under the troublesome pope and Turks, since there are still schools and churches left for pastors and preachers, neither among you, who want to make it so desolate.
Thirdly, if you fail to do so, he will at last cast you into hardened impenitence: then it is all over with you, and no more counsel; yes, this is how the wretched devil deals with you. Therefore, the sooner you get along with the priest and the church, that is, with Christ, the better, lest you also become an example, as has already happened to some.
Surely there are other ways to be found. Those who do not hear the priest zero, the
1) Burkhardt: "live".
If the door of the church is open, he may remain outside without God's grace. The churches are not built, nor the parishes established, to push out those who want to teach and hear the Word of God, and to keep in those who do not want to hear the Word of God; but they are built and established for the sake of those who like to hear it and cannot do without it.
You are not lords over the parishes and the preaching ministry, you did not establish them, but only the Son of God; you have not given anything to them, much less the right to them, neither the devil in the kingdom of heaven, you shall not master them nor teach them, neither shall you refuse to punish them. For it is God's and not man's punishment, who wants it unpunished, but commanded; wait for your office, and let God be satisfied with his regiment, before he has to teach it to you). Yours is none that can suffer a stranger to leave or chase away his servant, whom he cannot spare. Yes, there is no shepherd boy so small that he would suffer a crooked word from a foreign master; only God's servant should and must be everyone's servant, and suffer everything from everyone, whereas one does not want to or cannot suffer anything from him, not even God's own word.
Such admonition, I ask you to understand amicably, which I mean faithfully; for it is God's admonition. But if you will not hear, nor amend your ways, we must let you go, and yet see how we may resist the devil, at least so far as not to weigh down our consciences with your sins, nor to will the devil therein.
We must not put you under ban; you are harming yourselves, since we would like and much prefer to have you out. And even if you could get another pastor, since there is still a long way to go, you still cannot become the earliest, nor can you partake of some piece of Christian grace and life; so no one will accept it against the will and command of the visitators. And who would have me among such disowned Christians, who would have such evil cries, that they would betray their pastor with violence and injustice, and yet call themselves Christians, and lead such a holy name with dishonor?
2) Burkhardt: "lerne Mußt Thun".
Letters from the year 1543. no. 2990. 2991. 2992.
If you were to do this, you would become a beautiful name all over the world and quite an example.
Finally, I counsel in Christ, make peace with your pastor and live peaceably with him: let him punish, teach, comfort, as he is commanded by God, and as is on his conscience; according to the saying Ebrews 13:17: Obey your rulers (pastors), for they must give account for you. For that which you are about to do is an evil example, that any magistrate, judge, or alderman should want to expel a priest at his own whim, because he has no right, no authority, and no property; God will not and cannot suffer it.
May God grant that you may not know it, but may the same dear God help you to know His will with fear and humility, and honor His Son, that is, His word, which He has given and redeemed for you through His blood, and His servants, the poor parish priests, who are otherwise quite afflicted, and should have protection and comfort from you worldly rulers, so that your ministry may become a service of God.
Hiemit dem lieben GOtt in seine Gnade befohlen. Date Saturday after St. Paul's [conversion] [27 Jan.] 1543.
No. 2991.