Page:The letters of Martin Luther.djvu/266

 foundation on which our teaching rests, and therefore am becoming more courageous, so that, if God will, not a word shall be withdrawn, come what may. I am pretty well, for I fancy through all your prayers the spirit which has been tormenting me is beginning to give way, but I feel very languid.

We might arrive at great honor if we only denied Christ, but “we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”

I am not pleased that you say you have followed me, as you regarded me as the principal adviser in this matter. I will not be regarded as such.

Is not this business yours as much as mine? And I shall allow no one to lay the responsibility on me, but if it be mine alone I shall act for myself.

I tried to comfort you in my last letter. God grant it may be a life-giving epistle, and not a dead letter. What more can I do? You are torturing yourself over the issue of the event because you cannot comprehend it; but if you could comprehend it I would not like to be a partner in the concern, much less its author.

For God has placed it in a spot which is not to be found in your rhetoric nor your philosophy. This spot is called faith, and includes all one does not see or understand, and whoever tries to understand all this receives tribulation and tears as his reward, as you know.

The Lord has said “He would dwell in the thick darkness,” and “He made darkness His secret place.” Whoever wishes something different can try to find it. Had Moses waited till he understood how Israel could elude Pharaoh’s armies, they might have been in Egypt still.

May God so increase your faith that the devil and the whole world may be powerless against you. Let us comfort ourselves with the faith of others if we have none ourselves. For some have faith, else there would be no Church on earth; and Christ would have ceased to dwell with us. For if we are not the Church, or a part of it, where is it? Are the Dukes of Bavaria, or the Pope, or the Sultan the Church? If we have not God’s Word,