Luther does not hope anything good from the form of excommunication in the works at the Dresden court.
A copy is in Cod. Seidel. at Dresden from the blank page of Luther's letter to Lauterbach of Nov. 3, probably from the latter himself. In the margin are the words: Hanc epistolam ad me D. Lutherani scripsisse testor ego Dan. Cresserus hac mea propria manu. Printed in the Unsch. Nachr. 1715, p. 407; in Schütze, vol. I, p. 283 and in De Wette, vol. V, p. 596. German in Walch, vol. XXI, 1325 (as au Grosser).
To the man to be highly honored in the Lord, Mr. Daniel Cresser, the extremely faithful pastor of the church in Dresden, his very dear brother.
Mercy and peace! I cannot hope for anything good, my dear Daniel, from the form of excommunication that has been taken at your court. For if this happens, that the courts want to rule the churches according to their desires, God will not give a blessing, and the last will be worse than the first, because what happens without faith is not valid. But what is done without profession is undoubtedly done without faith and comes to naught. Either they should become pastors themselves, preach, baptize, visit the sick, serve the Lord's Supper and do all the works of a church servant (ecclessiastica), or they should stop combining the professions. They shall take care of their farms, and leave the churches to those who are attached to them.
2) For the different spellings of the name, see No. 2929.
Letters from the year 1543. No. 3056 to 3058.
No. 3057.