Magdalen, and for them He has not yet ascended to the Father; on me, because at Worms, to please my friends and not to appear too obstinate, I quenched my spirit and did not make my confession before the tyrants harder and stronger, though since that time the unbelieving heathen have accused me of pride. Heathen that they are, they judge like heathen, who have never received either Spirit or faith. I have often rued my humility and the respect I showed them.
Be that as it may, however, whether we sinned or did right, we will not be downhearted or fearful, for as we do not put our confidence in our good deeds, so we do not despair be- cause of our sins, but we thank God that our faith is greater than good deeds and sins. For the Father of all mercies has granted us to believe not on a wooden, but on a living Christ, who is Lord over sin and innocence, and who can raise us up and support us even though we fell into thousands of sins every hour. . . . We know that He who raised Him from the dead and set Him at His right hand is strong enough and faithful enough to be Lord over all things, over sin, death, devil and hell, not to speak of the papal pig's-bladders[1] with their three noisy peas. . . .
You know that the sin at Worms, where God's truth was so childishly disdained and was so openly, willfully and knowingly condemned unheard, was the sin of the whole German nation, because committed by its heads and with no one protesting. Thus they have become so guilty before God that He might altogether remove His precious Word or allow such offences to come that no man would any longer regard it as God's Word, but blaspheme it and persecute it as though it were devil's doctrine which they have denied and condemned from sheer willfulness. Sad to say, my dear Hartmuth, this is the burden which that unhappy diet has taken upon itself as a favor to the Pope. . . . So, we see, it happened to the Jews. After they had willfully condemned God's Son, they were given over to such an obstinate spirit that they boldly blaspheme Him and cannot cease to do so, and thus fulfill the Scripture,[2]
