and intercession, so that my offeringmay be acceptable in God's sight.
I would remind you that you pass our cloister, and must not seek other quarters!
But one of our cells must content you.
May you be preservedin Christ Jesus our I scarcely like to moot it,but if it were not beneath the dignityof their order, and did not give too much trouble,I would esteem the presence of the members of the Collegeat my ordination at Erfurt a great honour.
Luther had been hurriedly summoned by Frederick the Wise, on the recommendation of Staupitz, to be Professor in Wittenberg in 1508 ; he apologises for not biddingadieu.
Braun, priestin Eisenach, my beloved lord and father.
Luther,the Augustinian monk Stop wondering,honoured father,that I stole secretly away from you as if no friendship existed between us, or as if I had been ungratefulenough to root out of my heart all remembrance of your great kindness to me, or let a rough north wind blow away my love for you.
Indeed it is not so, althoughmy actions may lead you to suppose this.
I must confess,and yet I have not gone away, for the best part of me, at all times, remains with you.
For althoughI have departedin body,I am ever with you in thought wherever you are, and I hope you will never feel differently towards me from what you do now.
But to come to the point. In order to get quit of the dreadful idea that your love might perhapsbeginto doubt my fideUtyto you,
I have torn myselfaway from my manifold occupations to write you, as it is so difficultto convey anything. And what do you think is my sole objectin writing,but to send you my love, and ask you to have as much confidence in me as And althoughI cannot compare myselfwith you in anything good, still my love for you is very great, and having nothing else to bestow, I once more assure you of it.
I know your generous heart desires nothingfrom me, but that we may be one heart and soul in the Lord, even as our faith is one and the same in Him.
But you rtiust not be oifended at my leaving so quietly, for my departure was so sudden that even those in the house scarcely knew.
I always intended writing,but had no time.
I felt very sorry not to see you.
I am now, by God's command or permission, settled in Wittenberg,and very well,only the study of philosophy is most disagreeable to me
; for from the first I would have preferredtheology,viz. the theologywhich goes to the kernel of the nut and touches the bone and the flesh.
God is God, and man often errs in his judgment.
God, who will guide us lovinglyto all eternity.Kindly note all this,which has been written in the greatest haste.
And when you have a messenger you will honour me with a line,and With all good wishes from first to last,and credit me with what you would like to believe of me.
Luther attains the height of his ambition, having been invited to accept the dignityof Theology, which enabled him to expound the Holy Scriptures.