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they would kill us for life's sake. O God! The all-powerful resurrection of Christ is far too great a confidence to be made timid and cowardly by the temporary power of their straw and paper tyranny. One of them is especially that bladder N.,* who defies heaven with his lofty paunch and has denied the Gospel. He has a mind to devour Christ as a wolf snaps up a fly; thinks, too, that he has already taken a good bite out of His left heel, and rages more than all the rest. I have prayed for him with my whole heart and had pity on his abominable attacks, but I fear that his judgment is at hand; it is long since deserved. I beg that you, too, and yours, will also com- mend him to the Lord in prayer, for it is our duty to be kind to our enemies with all our heart, even though they will not allow us to be good to them; perhaps one day he may be rescued from the dragon's mouth, and Saul may become a Paul. I should urge you to address a similar letter to him, but would not have that which is holy put before the dogs or pearls cast before swine. He is past hearing and thinking, and I know nothing to do except pray for him. He is destroy- ing many souls and laying up great treasure against the day of wrath. But I lay this on your soul. We shall live even though they slay us or do us all manner of ill.
A still harder attack has lately been made upon our faith. Satan, who is always mingling with the children of God, has started a fine game for us, and especially for me, here at Wit- tenberg, and for once has satisfied the desires of our oppo- nents against us and opened their mouths wide to speak evil of the Gospel. All my enemies, and all the devils, too, how- ever nearly they have touched me, have not wounded me as I have now been wounded by our own people ; I must confess that the smoke hurts my eyes and almost chokes my heart. Here, thought the devil, I shall take the heart out of Luther and make his stubborn spirit weak; this trick he will neither understand nor beat. Ah, well, I wonder whether this, too, is not a punishment on some of my noble patrons and on me I On my patrons, because although they believe that Christ is risen, they are still groping after Him in the garden with
^This is the pastage at which Duke George took umbrage, as teferring to htmself. C/. infra, no. 563.
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