The Second Letter, Written to his Brother A. of B.

Grace, peace, and a heart steadfastly fixed on the Lord is what I wish you, A. of B., my dear brother in the Lord; and I thank the Lord for the letter you wrote me. Thanks to the Lord for it; and I also ask of you, my dear brother, that you help me entreat the Lord, that I may become worthy of what you wished for me, and asked of me. However, I still have a good hope, thanks to the Lord for it. I am also still willing to suffer for His name's sake; but may He give me strength for it. Amen.

I also ask you, my dear brother, to wish our brother H. K. much good in my name. May the Lord make us worthy of every good thing; however, I cannot write you as much as I would like to see you have. May the Lord, according to His great mercy, give us what will lead to our salvation. Amen. And I ask you to wish much good to all my brothers and sisters with whom the Lord will bring you in contact, and to admonish them to pray the Lord faithfully, to uphold me in His faithful Word until death. I do not expect to forget to remember you, as much as will be possible for me. May the Lord assist us to pray in true love, so that we may be heard, and hereafter, with all the pious, inherit His kingdom; to this end, may the Lord help us. Amen.

I also inform you that on Halloween two priests visited me, who wanted to take me to church; and when I did not consent to it, they commended me to the Lord; there were also three judges here, and they did their best; but the Lord preserved me, praise and thanks to Him for it, and may He preserve you and me as long as we live. Amen. O my dear brothers and sisters, plead with the Lord diligently for me, that since He allows me, an unworthy servant, to be cast into prison, it may turn to His praise, and to my salvation; this I desire with all my heart. May the Lord come to your assistance and mine.

With this I commend you to the Lord, and to the Word of His grace. Amen.

I, Conrad Koch, have written this letter from Loewenburg, in prison, in the year 1565.