selves with this false hope and joy (as has been their wont), and puff themselves up and boast; this ordinance pleases me well. For since the same customs have not hitherto obtained everywhere, but everyone did as he pleased, added and left off what he pleased, it was impossible to bring about uniform- ity except by adding something or leaving off something of somebody's customs; and since there is no one who can bear to have his own customs changed in any way, what wonder is it if complaints and criticisms have been made against the visitators? For they had to change some of those people's customs in order that the most important things might be best ordered. Read it, and I hope you will approve it, and then pray to the Lord for me, I beseech you, that He will beat down Satan under foot. Our plague is mild, scarcely a tenth as bad as is reported, and I hope in Christ that it is about to end entirely. Amen. In Him farewell.
Martin Luther.
774. THE ELECTOR JOHN OF SAXONY TO LUTHER. Enders, vi, 95. German. Torgau, September 30, 1527.
Our greetings to you, reverend, learned, dear and pious sir. Since you and the pastor of Wittenberg* were recently here, on the invitation of our councillors, and went over and consid- ered the matter of the visitation and decided that after the document had been rewritten it should be sent to you and Bugenhagen for further consideration, we therefore send it herewith. It is our gracious wish that you and the pastor will read over it and consider it once more with all diligence and will make note of and inform us of any additions or omissions. We shall then give further instructions, so that the matter may be completed and put in print.
Moreover, we graciously wish you to know that it has come to us that the papists are rejoicing somewhat over the fact that this Visitation Ordinance is to be issued as a manual for confession. For they will interpret this as though we were now falling away from our former doctrine and going back to their abuses. And although the matters contained in these parts of the Ordinance are not like the abuses which the papists
^ Bugenhagen.
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