Dangers multiplied before him; his enemies seemed about to triumph, the powers of darkness about to prevail. Martin Luther trembled as he looked upon himself—one man opposed to the mightiest powers of earth. He sometimes doubted whether he had indeed been led by God to set himself against the authority of the church. In anguish of spirit, he threw himself with his face upon the earth and poured out broken, heart-rending cries that no one but God can fully understand.
"O almighty and everlasting God," he pleaded, "how terrible is this world! Behold, it openeth its mouth to swallow me up, and I have so little trust in Thee! My last hour is come, my condemnation had been pronounced. O God, do Thou help me against all the wisdom of the world—for this is not my work, but Thine—and it is a righteous and eternal cause. O Lord, help me! Stand at my side, for the sake of Thy well-beloved Jesus Christ, who is my defense, my shield, and my strong tower."
"You have not answered the question put to you! You are required to give a clear and precise answer—will you, or will you not, retract?"
The next day he was to appear to render his final answer…
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