That true and upright Christians are ready to suffer Death and all
manner of Torments for the Gospel's sake, but Hypocrites do shun the
Cross.

Not long since, said Luther, I invited to my table, at Wittemberg,
an Hungarian Divine, named Matthias de Vai, who told me that, as he
came first to be a Preacher in Hungary, he chanced to fall out with
a Papistical Priest. Now, he was complained of by that Priest to a
Friar that was brother to the Vaivoda, or Governor of Buda, and they
were both summoned to appear before him. The one much accusing the
other, insomuch that the Friar could not reconcile nor take up the
controversy between them, at last, and after long debate, the Friar
said, "I know a way soon to discover the truth of this cause," and
commanded that two barrels of gunpowder should be set in the midst
of the market-place at Buda, and said unto the parties, "He that
will maintain his Doctrine to be right, and the true Word of God,
let him sit upon one of these barrels, and I will give fire unto it,
and he that remaineth living and unburned, his Doctrine is right."
Then Matthias de Vai leaped presently upon one of the barrels and
sat himself down thereon; but the Papist Priest would not up to the
other barrel, but slunk away. Then the Friar said, "Now I see and
know that the Faith and Doctrine of Matthias de Vai is the right,
and that our Papistical Religion is false." And thereupon he
punished and fined the Papist, with his assistants, for wronging De
Vai, in four thousand Hungarian ducats, and compelled him for a
certain time to maintain one hundred soldiers at his own charge; but
he licensed Matthias de Vai openly to preach the Gospel. The Friar
himself, recanting his religion, was converted and became a
Protestant; whereupon Luther said, Never yet would any Papist burn