edged sword, piercing even to the marrow. But you ought to remember that it is not wonderful if He, Who is more truly a Father than you were, preferred for His own glory that your son, nay, rather His son, should be with Him rather than with you; for he is safer there than here. But all this is vain, a story on deaf ears, when your grief is so new; therefore I yield to your sorrow. Greater and better men than we are have given way to grief and are not blamed for it Neverthe^ less it is a good thing for you to have had this kind of a trial, too, and to have tasted the power of conscience, so that yoo may learn in your own experience what is that power of the Word and of faith which is proved in these agonies. Yoo have not yet felt the goad of the flesh and the buffeting of Satan's messenger ; what you have so far suffered you have suffered in glorious and trusting innocence ; that is, with a good conscience. Let this be enough.
I hear that you wish to hurry to the diet ; I advise against it. First, because I am not called thither, but, for certain reasons, will only go with the prince on the journey through his own lands. Then because the matter of the Gk)spel will hardly be dealt with, or at least after long delay, for the princes are in no such hurry about the cause of religion, espe- cially since the discussion will rather have to do with the Turk. You will be able to come there at the proper time; meanwhile labor with your Zwickauers and make them more tractable. Greet the comrade af your sorrow, and rejoice in the living Christ more than you grieve over your son who is dead — nay, he is alive but has been taken from you. My Katie and our whole household send you greeting.
Dr. Martin Luther.
875. JUSTUS JONAS TO JOHN LANG. Kaweraa, i, 145. Weimar, April 9, 153a
The grace and peace of God in Christ. Last Sunday,* my dear Lang, Dr. Martin, Philip and I left Wittenberg with our illustrious prince, on our way to the diet at Atagsburg. Bishop Bugenhagen was left at home to look after the university and take care of the church. The Emperor Charles V has now
1 April 3.
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