Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1521-1530.djvu/276

 (Enders, v, 59^0 • These letters, with some books of Carlstadt, were brought to Luther by a deacon in Zell's church, named Nicholas, who took Luther's letters back, arriving in Strassburg January 9, 1525. Barge, loc. cit.

Both this letter and the following are concerned with Carlstadt's doctrine of the Eucharist Carlstadt had been forced to leave Witten- berg by Luther's advent in March, 1522, and had gone as parish priest to Orlamiinde. There in the latter part of 1523 he had composed his first work on the sacrament, The Priesthood and Sacrifice of Christ, in answer to Luther's Adoration of the Sacrament,

Carlstadt held that the body and blood of Christ were not present in the communion bread and wine, as was maintained by both the Catholics and Luther. On August 22, 1524, Luther and Carlstadt had a friendly conference at Jena (supra, no. 639), at which Luther gave the other permission to set forth his opinion in writing. In response to this Carlstadt composed four tracts on the subject, maintaining his posi- tion chiefly by exegetical arguments. Immediately after finishing his pamphlets he left Saxony for South Germany and Switzerland. At Strassburg he saw Bucer and Capito, the latter writing an irenic on The Schism between Luther and Carlstadt, Gerbel stood out for Luther, writing Melanchthon that his opponent had brought multitudes into hell fire, and writing Luther, November 22, that no Faber, Eck or Emser had hurt him so much as his former colleague. Urban Rhegius was also for Luther, but Cellarius and the other Strassburgers were either Carlstadtian or tried to take a middle position. Barge: Karl- stadt, ii, 151-233. Smith, 153^.

Grace and peace in Christ. Why should we wonder, my dear Gerbel, at the things that are done under the prince, nay, tinder the god of this world? They are worthy of such a god, and we know that it is not falsely or in vain that He Who lieth not, ascribes so much power to Satan that He calls him the prince and the god not of any one people, but of the whole world. He does this because He would have us on our guard. Nor is it wonderful either that under such great tyranny it is possible for only a small remnant to survive; those namely who believe aright and are saved — for thus the wonderful work of the true God shines forth with the greater splendor. ' Carlstadt, therefore, is doing right. He was long since ' given over to Satan, and now, at last, he is revealing the mys- teries of his god. That which has driven the man to it is nothing else than an unconquerable lust for vain glory, which Christ has often hindered, but which bums in his heart with

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