astery/ but I wish you had overcome all the reasons ; not that I would deny your right to leave, but I do wish that our op- ponents might have been deprived of an opportunity for slan- der, in the same way that St. Paul deprived the false apostles of such an opportunity. . - . Now my suggestion is too late. If I have time I will write a letter to the Church at Erfurt," though I see that you and our people here have grown far be- yond me in knowledge of the Word, and the saying is every- where fulfilled, "They must increase, but I must decrease."* But the power of the Word is either latent or there is too little of it in all of us, and this makes me wonder. For we are the same as we were before — hard, senseless, impatient, audacious, drunken, lascivious, contentious — in a word, charity — ^that special mark of a Christian — is not in evidence, and the saying of Paul is fulfilled, "We have the kingdom of God in word, but not in power." * ;
I cannot come to you, for it is not right to tempt God and to seek perils elsewhere, when there is peril enough for me here. I am under the anathema of Pope and Emperor, and any- body is at liberty to kill me, and I have no protection except that of heaven. I see that many of our monks are leaving the monasteries for no other cause than that which brought them in, namely, for the sake of the belly and of carnal liberty. They will be Satan's instrument for making a great stench to offset the good odor of our word. But what can we do? They are lazy fellows, and seek their own advantage, and it is better for them to sin and perish out of the cowl than in it, for they would perish doubly if they were punished in this life. Greet all our friends, for I do not know who may be staying with you, and farewell in the Lord. Amen. I hope you will commend our cause to God in your prayers, and also Elector Frederic, who will not be with us long, I fear, unless we keep him by our prayers; if our head is taken away, the salvation
^ After the General Chapter had given the Augustinians permission to leave their monasteries (January 6» 1522; cf, supra, nos. 518, 539)* Lang letc the house at Erfurt, and published sixteen reasons why he could no lunger remain. C/. Enders. iii, 324, n. i, and W. Reindell, Linck, p. 2721.
« He found time in July (Enders, no. 557).
■John iii, 30.
- I Corinthians it, 20.
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