I know nothing of Eck,^ except that he has come with his beard, his bull and his money. The Lord grant that one of the condemned articles be that the bag of the Mendicant is nothing. I also will laugh at this bull or bubble. I send Marforius.* The Lord keep you always. Amen. Farewell, dearest Giinther. Martin Luther, Augustinian.
301. LUTHER TO CONRAD SAUM AT BRACKENHEIM.
Enders, ii. 483. Wittenberg, October i, 152a
Conrad Saum (Sam, Som), (1483-June 20, 1533), at this time priest at Brackcnheim in Wiirtemberg, had already embraced the Reforma- tion, on account of which he was driven out, going to Ulm in 1524, where he introduced a Zwinglian reform. Realencyclopddie.
Greeting. Dr. Heilingen* has commended you, Conrad, to me, praising your piety and learning. He pleased me not a little in bearing witness that your heart is possessed by that pure and sincere doctrine of Christ, which in all possible ways the sophists strenuously resist by force and guile. Satan aids them, for who cannot see that he is the author of these storms in them? For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness, against the authors of this darkness in heavenly places.* Let us therefore be con- stant, and in our turn let us hear the trumpet of our leader who calls to us : "Be strong in war, fight with the old serpent* and receive the eternal kingdom." For this fellow Satan does not fight with us, but with Christ who fights in us, and who is greater than he that is in the world.* The Lord has chosen new wars, says Deborah, Judges vii.^ and we also fight not our own battles, but those of the Lord. Be strong there- fore and mighty; if God be for us who can be against us?*
Why this? you say. Because you will hear that the Pope
lEck arrired at Meissen, September ai, where he posted die bull.
SThe name of the statue of a river-god at Rome, on which satires were posted The satire Luther sent may have been Pasquillui Marranus exul . . . Clemen: Beitrage but Reformationsgetehichte, i. x.
'Probably John Geyling, later a well-known Reformer in South Germany, if meant.
^Ephesians, vi. 12.
(Revelation, xii. 9.
•i John, iv. 4.
^Rather, Judges, v. 8.
^Romans, viii. 31.
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