It must be committed to God in earnest prayer, for it is God's concern, not ours.
We are impotent. Pray,pray, and let Him bear the burden.
Remember me to your dear husband.
About the Strassburg people.
There is nothingnew, dear Nicolas,to tell you.
Strassburgers have gone over to the Swiss,and will oppose the Emperor I have been a true prophet,for I always said that the Sacramentarians were filled with a spirit of secret sedition.
If God do not prevent, a new Mtlnzer may arise among them, to their own hurt,and they will be punishedbecause of their contempt for the gospel.
There is a rumour that the Turks are approaching, and another that Charles is returningto Papistsare quitealarmed, and yet will not search their own hearts.
England is embracingthe Reformation,and the King looks at it through his fingers.The Cardinal,who was worshipped as a demigod in England, nay, over half
Europe, has been condemned to lifelongcaptivity.In Word is also lookingup.
Sacramentarians hate us more than ever since the Marburg Conference,and are sorry we have not been caughtin their net.
Luther announces that the two preachersrefuse to come.
Gracious sirs and good friends,grace and peace in I have had your form of church service printed, as you see.
Basilius not coming you will gatherfrom his letter.
I do not come well out of this business in having raised the poor man*s hopes, and then having to leave him sitting.My simplicity, or rather folly,is to blame for not first inquiringinto all the circumstances.
But it is not my firstmistake, and will not be my last.
God grant that henceforth you may first be sure of your cause, and above all unanimous, before embarking on a similar proceeding.I herewith commit you to Luther complainsof the people's meanness.
Service printed, dear Gutel,and wrote a preface for it,and dedicated it to the heads of your congregation.See that it bears fruit.
It will fare badlywith your peopleif theyreject any more servants of the Church.
I have great difficulty in findingserviceable people,for in Wittenberg the scarcity is very great.
Formerly thousands were squandered on useless creatures who were deceivers in addition ; now theywill scarcelyexpend one hundred gulden on a pastor
[Seehorger).Therefore I will take nothingmore to do with them.
They fancy we must be proud of them, and that they cannot be wanted.
I cannot answer your inquiries as to whether one may dispensethe Holy Sacrament without tonsure and priestly consecration.
' are not in earnest there, I would preferyou to let it alone.
But otherwise you should openly ordain them before the altar with prayer and the laying on of the hands of the other servants of the Word, thus empowering them to dispensethe sacrament.
Excuse those hasty lines.
I see so much ingratitud that I am unwilling to advise or have anything