Luther thanks for a gift sent to him, expresses his joy about the state of the church in Transylvania and consoles because of the adversities that are inevitable.
1) De Wette: "shall".
2) That is, amber.
3) Corp. Ref., Vol. V, 355 contains this note by Faber: "M. Andr. Aurifaber went to Italy at that time, provided with a scholarship from the Duke, in order to practice anatomy and practice even more, in order to be employed soon as a princely personal physician."
Printed in Innocent News 1715, p. 591; in Gerdesii Scrin. antiqu., P. VII, p. 360; in StrobelRanner, p. 334 and in De Wette, vol. V, p. 648. German in Walch, vol. XXI, 1335.
To the man to be highly honored in Christ, Mr. Johann Honter, the Lord's evangelist at Kronstadt in Hungary, his brother who is extremely dear to the Lord.
Grace and peace! You write, my dear Honter, that you have sent a letter to me, but you do not know whether it was delivered in these dangerous times. You should know, however, that it was handed in, together with the inlaid golden coin bearing the image of Theodosius, which, as you wrote, was given to me by your captain or judge in memory of him; to whom, I beg you, you should give thanks in my name. By the way, because of the state of the church and religion among you, which is gradually increasing, I praise God, the Father of Light, from whom all good things come, and ask that He may multiply and bless you with all spiritual blessings, amen. You will not lack the bite of the serpent, because it is so written, it has been so from the beginning, it will be so to the end, that we should hold fast all the enmity between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman. The true Church of God does not have it any other way, nor can it have it any other way. But this is our consolation, that the victory is always with him who treads down, against him who bites, as it is written, "He shall tread down thy head." Therefore you do right and have the right opinion that you must watch against external enemies and against the wolves in the neighborhood and at home; these are the teeth of the serpent, namely the molars, as the prophet says Ps. 58, 7. But I am very busy, already old and worn out, and indeed wish for rest, which I think is a deserved one, but my wish is little fulfilled. Therefore, I would like you to forgive me for writing very briefly or not answering before. The Lord be with you and with all of you, Amen. On Sunday Cantate [May 11] 1544.
Mr. M. Philippus is absent, in Thuringia.
Letters from the year 1544. No. 3114.
No. 3114.