About the Emperor's strange insistence that the Protestants should attend the Concilium, and about the peace negotiations with the Turks.
The original is at Dresden in Cod. Seidel. Printed by Schütze, vol. I, p. 356 and by De Wette, vol. V, p. 746. German by Walch, vol. XXI, 1549 f.
To the ill Christo venerable father and lord, Mr. Nicolaus, the right bishop of the church at Naumburg, his superior to be highly honored in the Lord.
Grace and peace in the Lord! I would write if I had something to write, venerable Father in Christ. For I suppose that everything is better known to you than to us. It is written from the Imperial Diet that the Emperor is very insistent that our people consent to the Concilium; since the
We are told that he is very unwilling to do this. What this monstrosity is I do not understand. The pope cries that we are heretics and should have no place in the Concilium; the emperor wants us to consent to the Concilium and its decisions. Perhaps God makes them fools; indeed, since Satan reigns, they are all utter nonsense, since they condemn us and at the same time ask our consent. But this seems to be their furious wisdom, because up to now they could not make their very bad cause fearful under the name of the pope, the church, the emperor, the empire, so now they intend to use the name of the concilium, so that they have something to shout against us, namely that we are such shameful people that we do not want to hear the pope, nor the church, nor the emperor, nor the empire, now not even the concilium, which has been demanded of us so often. Behold the wisdom of Satan against our foolish God! How will He be able to escape such cunning plots? But it is the Lord who will mock the mockers. If we are to consent to such a concilium, why did we not consent 25 years ago to the Lord of Conciliums, the Pope, and to his bulls? First let the pope acknowledge that the concilium is above him, and let him hear the concilium against him, just as his conscience testifies against him: then let us discuss the whole question. "They are mad and foolish, thank God.
The emperor, Ferdinand and the Frenchman are seeking peace with the Turk, and it is thought that the emperor will turn his arms against us. But David says [Ps. 109, 4]: "But I pray"; let the will of the Lord be done. Fare well in the Lord, my venerable father. We are both old, may have to be buried in a short time. My tormentor, the stone, would have killed me on St. John's Day, if God had not provided otherwise. I would rather wish for death than for your tyrant. Again, farewell. On Thursday after St. Kilian [July 9] 1545
Venerable Lord, your devoted Martin Luther.
No. 3238.