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preached overthrew popery, so that neither

prince nor emperor has done it so much

harm. And yet I did nothing; the word alone

did all. If I had wished to appeal to force, the

whole of Germany would perhaps have been

deluged with blood. But what would have

been the result? Ruin and desolation both to

body and soul. I therefore kept quiet, and left

the word to run through the world alone.”—

Ibid., b. 9, ch. 8.

Day after day, for a whole week, Luther

continued to preach to eager crowds. The

word of God broke the spell of fanatical

excitement. The power of the gospel brought

back the misguided people into the way of

truth.

Luther had no desire to encounter the

fanatics whose course had been productive of

so great evil. He knew them to be men of