or quarrelsome; and yet
there was an earnestness and boldness in his words and bearing
befitting such a man. His heart was true, and without guile; the
harshness which appeared in his writings against the enemies of his
doctrine, did not arise from a quarrelsome or bad spirit, but from his
great earnestness and zeal for the truth. He showed great courage and
manliness, and did not allow himself to be easily frightened. He was
not dispirited by threatenings and danger. He possessed such a lofty
and clear understanding, that in confused, dark, and difficult
circumstances, he could see sooner than others what was to be
counselled and done. He was not, as some perhaps have thought, so
heedless as not to have remarked how it fared everywhere with the
governments. He knew right well in what government consists, and paid
assiduous attention to the opinions and will of the people with whom he
had to do. Let us have a constant and undying remembrance of this our
beloved father, and keep him ever in our hearts."[45]

Such was Luther, a superhuman nature; his mind was ponderous and
sharply defined, his will powerful and temperate, his morals pure, and
his heart full of love. As besides him no other powerful spirit arose
strong enough to become the leader of the nation, the German people
have lost for centuries the supremacy over the world; their supremacy
in the realm of mind rests however upon Luther. That he may in
conclusion speak for himself, we will give a letter to the Elector
Frederic the Wise, written at the time when Luther's whole powers were
most strongly developed. The prudent prince had commanded him to remain
at Wartburg, because he could not protect him at Wittenberg, as the
anger of the Duke George of Saxony would lead him to insist immediately
upon the carrying out of the ban of the empire against Luther. Luther
then writes to his sovereign:--

"Most Serene Highness, Illustrious Elector, and Gracious Sovereign!
Your Electoral Highness's letter and gracious remembrance of me,
reached me on Friday evening, when I was preparing to leave on Sunday
morning. I need truly neither proof nor witness that your Electoral
Highness's intentions are for the best, for I am as fully convinced
thereof as any human being can be.

"Yet in this matter, Gracious Sovereign, I must answer thus: your
Electoral Highness knows, or if you do not know, permit me hereby to
make you acquainted with it, that I have not received the gospel f