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 will encourage and rejoice your heart, and enable you to despise their poisonous backbiting.

It is an honor to be hated of the godless. The grace of God and the anointing of the Holy Spirit be with you. Amen. MARTIN LUTHER. (Schutze and Walch, 5:21. 1398.)

CCLXXVI
TO NICOLAS HAUSMANN November 20, 1531.

Grace and peace, dearest friend! The other day I again wrote begging you to come to me, but as you have not replied I fear you have not got the letter. Therefore I once more plead with you to come at once. An empty room is waiting for you. Have no hesitation in coming, for you will be a comfort to me, and would to God you could spend your whole life with me. It would be easy to entertain you, and a good opportunity of refusing those ungrateful people their request, which otherwise could not be denied them. This Pastor Buchholz will tell you what I mean; but come speedily.

Do not trouble about money. Farewell in Christ. MARTIN LUTHER. (Walch, 5:21. 1399.)

CCLXXVII
TO JOHANN BUGENHAGEN, VISITOR IN LUBECK November 24, 1531.

Grace and peace! We expect your return as soon as your wife’s health will permit. We have served the Lubeck people sufficiently, especially through you, whose absence is now becoming unbearable to us. For I am oppressed with work and often sick, and the Church’s money matters suffer, as I cannot attend to them. Do you know that the devil has just sent a wolf, a Zwinglian, to your people in Brunswick? And now that Campanus is entering the fold of this wolf, I know not whether God is punishing our town’s ingratitude or trying our patience to the utmost. You can write them on the subject, or speak of it to the magistrate on your way home.