'' Ye fools and blind ** Children of the devil,full of all subtiltyand all mischief," and some false prophetshe names Were any fastidious people nowadays to hear such languagethey would say,
*' No one was so bitter as the And who are more so than' the prophets?
Jeremiah cursingthe man who doeth the work of the Therefore,most holy father Leo, pray accept my apology,and be assured I never attacked your person, althoughI confess to having spoken againstthe
See, the Court of Rome, which not even thyself can deny, that it has been a very Babylon, and is,so far as I can see, in a hopelessstate.
Meantime, thou sittest, most holyfather,like a sheep among wolves, and like Daniel in the lions' den, and Ezekiel among scorpions.What canst thou do against such like ?
And even if there be three or four pious and learned Cardinals,what are theyamong so many God's wrath lies upon the Court of Rome, for it will not submit to a Council, nor to counsel or reform, so what was predictedof her mother may be fulfilled in her,
We would have healed Babylon,but she is not healed," etc.
It should be thy work, and that of the Cardinals,to put an end to this miserable state of things; but the malady defies the remedies,the horse and carriage pay no heed to the driver.
I have ever regretted, thou pious Leo, that thou shouldst now be Pope, when thou wert worthy of better times.
See is not worthy of thee Spiritshould be Pope, who rules more than thou in this Oh that thou wert free,and could live from thy paternalinheritance
Such a post should be reserved for Judas Iscariot and such like,whom Court surpasses that of Turkey in wickedness.
Once it was a gate of heaven, now it is the very jaws of hell.
I have attacked it so mercilessly, most holy Leo And my efforts not havingbeen vain,the Evil Spirit raised up Eck, a specialenemy of the truth,and persuadedhim to draw me unawares into a disputation at Leipsic, about a word
I dropped as to the Papacy " and all under the pretextof disputing with I committed my cause, dealt so unjustly with me, and after him came
Miltitz,also sent by your Holiness, who, after much runningto and fro,tried to arrange matters, and it is at his request,and at that of the Augustinian fathers,who will not believe the cause is lost,if the holy father
Leo would stretch out his hand to help, that I long for peace that I may have quiet to devote to better studies. now pleadthat a limit may be set to the flatterers, the enemies of all peace.
It is needless to ask me to retract, for I will not, nor can I suffer any interference with my expositions of Scripture ; because the Word of God must not be bound.
I am readyto do and suffer anything. Therefore, most holy father,do not listen to the sweet music of those who tell thee thou art not a mere man, but a mixture of God and man, who has everything at his disposal.
This is not the case.
Thou art not lord over all.
Christ does not reign, instead of being Christ's vicegerent Perhaps it is presumptuous of me to try to teach so exalted a personage, but I do it from pure love and a sense of duty,for my neighbour'sgood, and in this
St. Bernard's example,when he gave his book to In conclusion,and not to come empty handed before your Holiness,I bringa littlebook, which came out with the sanction of your name, in the fervent hope that it might be the beginningof better times,and to let your
Holiness see the sort of profitable work I love to pursue, if your flattererswould giveme leisure.
Man) in respect of paper, but it contains the whole kernel of a I am poor, and have nothingelse by which I can show my devotion to your
Holiness,but thou requirest onlyspiritual wares for your higher welfare.
Jesuskeep you to all eternity.Amen.
Luther does not signthis,his third letterto the Pope,evidently not wishingthe consideration due to an Augustinianmonk to be taken into account.
Luther rejoices that Spalatin at lengthsees one cannot relyon man.
Pope'sBull reached Wittenberg on I wonder how it is,my dear Spalatin, that you do not get my letters,for I have written twice and got no answer.
I am gladyou now see that the Germans' hopes are in vain,and that you are learning not to trust in princes,and are disregarding the world's judgment whether it praises or condemns my cause.
If the gospel could be promoted or maintained by worldly powers God would not have committed it to fishermen.
No, my dear Spalatin, it is not the work of the princes and highpriests of this world to protect the Word of God I crave no one's protection, for they would rather requireto helpone another againstthe
I am sorry for those who have heard and known Word, for they cannot, without riskingeverlasting perdition, deny or forsake the same, and it is much to be feared that many, with ourselves,may be found among them
" therefore let us pray for courage.
It is very hard to be of a different opinionfrom all the bishopsand princes,but it is the only way to avoid God's wrath and hell.
I would, if you did not so press me, commit the whole business to God, so that He might arrange matters according to the counsel of His will.
Do what the Spiritbids you, and farewell.