Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1507-1521.djvu/307

 243. LUTHER TO JOHN DUKE OF SAXONY.

Enders, ii. 372. De Wcttc, L 434. Weimar, vi. 203. Gcnnan.

Wittenberg, March 29, 152a

This is the dedication to the treatise On Good Works, Weimar, tl 196.

John the Steadfast, born 1468, elector from the death of his brother, Frederic, May 5, 1525. till his own death, August 16, 1532. He was a warm supporter of the Reformation from the first Cf. ReaUfh cyclop'ddie, and J. Becker: Kurfurst Johann von Sachsen und seine Beseihungen su Luther.

Serene, highborn Prince, gracious Lord! Pray accept my humble service and poor prayers. Gracious Prince and Lord, I have long been desirous of showing my humble service and duty to your Grace with some spiritual goods which are at my command, but considering my ability I have always found it too small to undertake to offer something worthy of your Grace. But as my most gracious Lord, Lord Frederic Duke of Saxony, Grand Marshal of the Holy Roman Empire, Elector and Vicegerent, etc., has not disdained, but has gra- ciously accepted my mediocre book* dedicated to his Grace, which has now, contrary to my expectations, been printed; I have taken courage from this gracious example, and have prestmied to hope that, as the same princely blood runs in your veins, you would have equal clemency and good will, and accordingly that your Grace would not disdain my poor, hum- ble offering, which I think more important than any of my sermons or tracts, in that it treats of good works. For good works contain more poison and deceit than any other creature, and the simple man is easily led astray by them, so that our Lord Christ commanded us to beware of the sheep's cloth- ing under which wolves were hidden. For neither gold, sil- ver, gems nor any precious thing has so much adulteration and dross as have good works, which must all have one sim- ple virtue without which they are mere dissembling, hypocrisy and deceit. I know well and daily hear some who despise my lowliness say that I do nothing but make tracts and Ger- man homilies for the unlearned laity; but I do not care for


 * Th€ Tetteradecas.

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