the poor. Doctor Jonas, being with him, gave also something, and
said, "Who knoweth whether God will give it me again or no?"
Whereat Luther, smiling, answered him and said, "You speak as if God
had not given you this which you have now given to the poor. We
must give freely and willingly."


Of the expounding of the Prophet Isaiah's Speech: "In Quietness and
in Confidence shall be your Strength."

This sentence was expounded by Luther in this way: If thou
intendest to vanquish the greatest, the most abominable and
wickedest enemy, who is able to do thee mischief both in body and
soul, and against whom thou preparest all sorts of weapons, but
canst not overcome, then know that there is a sweet and loving
physical herb which serveth for the same, and that herb is named
Patientia.

But thou wilt say, "How may I attain to this physic?" Answer-Take
unto thee faith, who saith; "No creature can do me mischief without
the will of God." Now, in case thou receivest hurt and mischief by
thine enemy, the same is done by the sweet and gracious will of God,
in such sort that the enemy hurteth himself a thousand times more.
From hence floweth unto me, a Christian, the love which saith, "I
will, instead of the evil which mine enemy doth unto me, do him all
the good I can; I will heap coals of fire upon his head." This,
said Luther, is the Christian armour and weapon, wherewith to beat
and overcome those enemies that seem to be like huge mountains. In
a word, love teacheth to suffer and endure all things.