Luther exhorts him to continue in zeal and faithfulness for the gospel.
Printed in the Altenburg edition, vol. VIII, p. 473; in the Leipzig edition, vol. XXI, p. 521; in Walch, vol. XXI, 507; in De Wette, vol. V, p. 737 f. and in the Erlangen edition, vol. 56, p. 135.
Grace and peace in the Lord. Honorable and prudent, dear sirs and good friends! I have talked with my dear Lord and friend D. Jonas about all kinds of things, especially church matters, and heard from him quite happily how your church in Halle has almost increased and is well blessed by the Holy Spirit, that the people are very well behaved, and the teachers have one heart and one mouth among themselves, and the council is also inclined toward the Gospel.
The merciful God and Father of all joys and unity wanted to increase and maintain His gracious blessings among you, and to accomplish His work begun in you until that day! It is a great grace and treasure, where a city can sing with one accord the psalm: Ecce, quam bonum et quam jucundum, habitare fratres in unum. For I learn daily, alas, how strange such a gift is in the cities and in the countryside. For this reason I have not been able to refrain from showing you all my joy, and also from asking and exhorting, as St. Paul did to those in Thessalonica, that you continue in this way and, as his word says, ut abundetis magis, and become stronger and stronger. For we know that Satan is an enemy to us, and cannot suffer such God's work in us, but 1) prowls about, seeking whom he may devour, as St. Peter says. Therefore it is necessary to be courageous and to pray that we will not be overtaken by him. For we are not unaware of what he has in mind; thus he still has great space with you, as on the Morizburg and at Aschenburg, 2) in addition to others, so that he has also now blessed or cursed two nuns (God may redeem the souls again, amen), by which he proves what he would like to do more.
1) "but" put by us instead of: especially.
2) This name occurs only here. We assume that "Aschaffenburg" is to be read, because this belonged at that time to Chur-Mainz.
Thereupon I have diligently asked my dear Lord Doctor Jonas to keep the church, council, preachers and school together all the more diligently, so that you may resist the devil with earnest, united, strong prayer and faith, whether he would do anything further than he certainly intends to do without ceasing; as I know that Doctor Jonas has done this faithfully beside you up to now, and will do so again.
Martinus Luther, D.